Hayate The Combat Butler, Remake!
by geororo
Summary: What if Hayate didn't put up with his parents and ran away when he was a child? What if he had chosen a different path in his life? Ah... the possibilities are endless! AR and Rated T for possible mild language in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Initial contact

A big hello from me to all of you reading my story. This is my first fanfic so I hope that I didn't mess this story up (hopefully). Oh, one more thing, I'll be taking references from the manga from time to time, so the story might sound very familiar to you. But rest assured, the plot of this story will become different (or should I say stray off) from the original story. Anyway, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't know whether this is a must or not, but I'll put it here, just in case anything happens. I wouldn't want to have legal issues with him, or anyone as the matter of fact. I do not own Hayate The Combat Butler, Hayate No Gotoku or by whatever name you call this story. The characters and places in Hayate No Gotoku belongs solely to Kenjiro Hata. (Please tell me if I'm missing anything).

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Chapter 1_:_ Initial contact

Hakuo Academy, a prestigious school situated in the middle of the bustling Tokyo Metropolis. This school, recognized by many all over the nation as the most elite and the best learning institution ever existed in Japan. Due to its enormous grounds, encompassing well over 36% of Tokyo, this school even has its own hospital, stadium and even a network of train system to transport the students throughout the school. Needless to say, this school accepts only the richest, most gifted and talented student to be deemed worthy of studying here, making those who passed, to be envied by all who wishes to enroll here. As expected, school of this class has been producing scholars which many calls as 'perfection', a word which wasn't even close to summarize these students.

One day, in a classroom at a Hakuo Academy, a young woman was teaching her class about the Mesopotamian civilization. She is what some would call as very nice with the students but also very energetic and looks like someone who would cause problems if not dealt with extreme caution.

Suddenly, the class was brought to an abrupt hold when the class door was knocked three times. The teacher gave her permission for the person to enter the class. A young, bespectacled girl probably the around the same age as the students entered the class. The girl greeted the teacher formally before walking into the class.

"Excuse me, Yukiji-sensei, there's an urgent message that I need to relay to you…" the girl said before she whispered to the teacher.

"WHAT? There's an intruder in school! As the teacher on duty, I must get to the bottom of this!" The teacher exclaimed.

"_If I caught the intruder, the school might give me a bonus. I could buy alcohol as much as I want and treat myself to coma with it!" _The teacher thought before she sped off and searched for the intruder.

Meanwhile, a boy in black is walking down the school pavements with a slightly confused expression. It seems like he is lost, yet he was calm and managed to immerse himself with the school's impressive garden.

"_Well, I must say, this school sure is as large as the Vanadiel. I've been looking my way around here for more than an hour now... (Sigh) I think I'll take a break before I continue again." _The boy said to himself before he lied down with his hands on the back of his head under a shady tree.

It was not long before something caught his attention. From quite a distance, a finely-built clock tower towered in front of him. It had a touch of classical-English style and somehow, it looked very similar to the famous Big Ben clock tower in London.

"(Whistle) That's a really beautiful building. I really wish that I could get on top of that tower…" The boy whispered, admiring the tower's beauty.

"You can't. The tower is off-limits for students. Only members of the student council are allowed to go up there." A voice echoed. He reacted by jumping onto his feet and started to look around for the owner of the voice.

"W-who was that!" The boy said anxiously.

"Psst…over here…over here…" The voice called for him. He turned and found himself facing a young girl standing on a branch of a tree.

The girl had slender and well-proportioned legs, thin ankles. Not very tall, but not very short too. Her eyes were like a curious kitten's, and her eyebrows traced a subtle line over them. It made the boy almost stunned to see that such a person exists.

"So…what are you doing here?" The girl suddenly asked, pulling the boy back into reality.

"Umm…likewise, what are you doing up there?"

"Geez, you really go straight to the point." The girl said in dismay.

"Is climbing trees the latest trend in Hakuo Academy?"

"Does it look like I'm having fun?" She asked rhetorically.

"But, you know it's dangerous, right?"

"EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T SAY THAT, I KNOW!" The girl said angrily before she blushed and continued "T-this is…umm…umm…trees are unexpectedly hard to slip on. There are many branches so the climbing is smooth. But when you continuously look up, you'll neglect the bottom…"

"To put it frankly, cats are fine with climbing high places but are afraid to go down again." The boy summarized her statement.

"DON'T PUT IT SO FRANKLY! You're making me looking like an idiot! It's true that there's a saying 'idiots and smoke are attracted to high places', but I'm not an idiot!"

"But I didn't even say that…" The boy said with a sweat drop.

"A-anyway, I have a small request…" The girl said after a moment of silence.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Umm…I mean…" The girl's face is turning redder. "C-catch me."

"Eh?" Before the boy could even understand what is going on, the girl jumped down from the tree so suddenly that he failed to react correspondingly. For the boy, unfortunately, the girl landed right on his face and used it as a landing platform before she skidded on the ground.

"AH! S-sorry!" The girl said when she realised that the boy had fallen. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah…somehow…" He said while getting up on his feet again.

"That's not right. It's dangerous if you didn't catch me properly." The girl advised him.

"IF YOU THINK IT'S DANGEROUS, THEN PLEASE DON'T JUMP IN THE FIRST PLACE!" The boy said angrily. Not only he was stepped in the face, but the girl also tried to advise him about something that was not even his fault.

"S-sorry. But you don't have to yell…it was really scary so I wanted to get down as soon as possible…I have a fear of heights…" The girl said with her head lowered.

"W-well…in that case…it's alright I guess…But isn't that unladylike? A girl with a skirt climbing to such high place…" he shook his head. "Anyway, if you have fear of high places, you should say so in the first place. You don't have to suddenly jump…," the boy said while wiping his blood from his face. "…if you had said so, I'd have come to rescue you."

"Ehh~? If I had said so, would you come to save me?" She asked teasingly. The boy, however, didn't noticed what she had just said.

"Why were you up there even though you're afraid of high places?"

"Couldn't be helped…it fell from its nest…" She said while pointing towards a bird. It then flew away as if nothing ever happened to it. It gave the boy the impression that the girl is lying to him.

"Is that the kind of excuses nowadays that are used when you can't come down after climbing a tree?"

"W-WHAT? ARE YOU STILL MAKING FUN OF ME!" She asked angrily.

"No…you have my admiration." The boy said with a smile on his face. "You would go up there even though you're afraid. That's very brave of you. Please forgive me… I have said many rude things."

"N-no…as long as you understand…"

"Oh! I almost forgot. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Hayate Ayasaki." The boy said while reaching his hand out.

"I'm Hinagiku Katsura. Pleased to meet you." She shook her hand with his.

"Hinagiku Katsura-san…that's a nice name." He complimented.

"Aha, of course!" She said happily. "Well… as a token of my gratitude, why don't I take you to the top of the clock tower?"

"Eh? But I thought you said…"

"It's alright. After all… the president of the student council is me!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the teacher is…

"_Geez, where is that intruder? I've looking for him for a long time now."_

_ …_drinking her beer in the school cafeteria. She has been waiting there for quite some time now with the belief that the intruder would just come to the cafeteria and let himself to be caught easily.

* * *

"Eh~? The reason why only the student council members are allowed to go up there is because the student council room is inside that building?" the girl answered with a nod.

"Geez, who is the idiot that had placed the room so high up…"

"Aha… Come to think of it, Katsura-san doesn't like high places…" Hayate said with a chuckle. "I really don't mind. You don't have to go up if you don't want to. I'm satisfied just by looking at it from here."

"Didn't you just say that you would like to be there? In that case, you'll be more satisfied when you're there, right?"

"Well… certainly."

"Then, don't cheat yourself out of this chance. It's a thank you gift from me. If you're not a little selfish, you'll never be happy in life."

"…"

"Well, let's go. I'm the president of the council, so it's not as if it's the first time I've been there."

* * *

"WHOA~! The view really is nice from up here, Katsura-san!" He exclaimed when they reached the top floor. The boy is standing at the balcony with a clear view of the entire school.

"The view from this clock tower is superb. It's so beautiful that one would never forget it." Hinagiku said in return. Hayate then noticed that Hinagiku is sitting on a couch that has been arranged, in a way, clearly to prevent her from looking outside while drinking a milk tea.

"You can't see it from that far you know, Katsura-san."

"I'm fine. I use not my eyes, but listen to the voices of the heart." She gave her excuse. The boy listened with an eyebrow raised.

"It looks like they're having their classes right now. Is that alright that you're not attending yours?" The boy asked. Hinagiku suddenly spilled some of her milk tea, as she wasn't expecting that question.

"AH GEEZ, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Hinagiku reacted with a blushing face. "It can't be helped since the class had already started when I tried to save the bird. It'd be embarrassing to enter the class by that time, wouldn't it!"

"Well… that may be true…" he said in reply. "I guess I'll be on my way now. Thank you for everything, Katsura-san." The boy said with a bow and headed towards the elevator

"Call me Hinagiku."

"Eh?"

"There's a more conspicuous person with the same last name, so everybody just calls me with my first name, got that?" She said with a smiling face.

"AHAH! I'VE FOUND THE INTRUDER!" A voice startled the two of them. Both of them turned to the elevator.

"O-onee-chan? What are you doing here?" Hinagiku asked in surprise.

"Eh? Onee-chan?" (T/l: Sister)

"Uh-huh… Yukiji Onee-chan." Hinagiku said simply.

"Damned intruder! Today, your head will be mine!" Yukiji said ominously before she grabbed a sword that was being held by ornamental armour beside her.

She dashed towards the boy at an unfeasible speed, with her sword ready to decapitate anyone in her way. Fortunately, Hinagiku managed to block the attack in the nick of time.

"Geez, doing something completely absurd again…" Hinagiku said in a weary tone before forcing the attacker backwards.

"You've improved, Hina! That level however, isn't enough to stop my passion and spirit!"

"You're all talk. I've never lost a fight with you. I've only lost the match where you keep piling your age and become more useless compared to me." She said sarcastically.

"Even if you're my sister, I won't forgive you, Hina!" Yukiji threatened Hinagiku.

"You don't have to forgive me. More importantly, when are you going to pay back all those money you owe me? If I'm not mistaken, you had borrowed 30,000 yen from me last month."

"Th-that's mean! You can't say that to your sister!" Both of them then started quarreling with each other. Hayate who decided not to get involved in the sisterly quarrel, tried to escape.

"Umm…I think I'll excuse myself then…"

Yukiji saw the bag that the boy had dropped earlier which gave her an idea. Before he could take the bag, she grabbed it and ran towards the balcony.

"Do you want this back?" she said with a laugh before turning to Hinagiku. "I wonder if you would come and get it. However, there's the fear of fright that you have. If you're not coming, hand over the intruder to me at once!"

"Hinagiku…" The boy tried to help, but she waved her hands, signaling that she could handle the problem.

"Don't take me lightly, onee-chan. I am the president of the Hakuo Academy's Student Council, Hinagiku Katsura!" she said proudly in such a way that would make anyone feel her supremacy. "I absolutely won't tolerate my guest to be treated as such!"

"…Nothing less from my sister…I guess I'll return the bag now…" She said before suddenly, a gust of wind made her lose her balance and tripped from the railings.

"UWAAA!" She screamed as her entire life flashes before her eyes. Well… it was quite a boring one anyway.

"ONEE-CHAN!" Hinagiku cried in fear. Fortunately, the boy who had been a spectator all this time managed to grab Yukiji's hands and pulled her to safety.

"_Thank god she's safe…" _Hinagiku thought in relieve.

"I-I-I…umm" She mumbled, clearly still shocked after that.

"Geez…climbing to such a high place as that is dangerous you know…"

"T-thank you, Hayate-kun… for saving onee-chan..."

"I-I-I'm sorry for trying to hurt you just now…" Yukiji then said after she had calmed down.

"Nah…forget it. I'm glad that the misunderstanding has been cleared." He said with a smile. "Thank you very much for letting me to be here, Hinagiku-san. I really enjoyed the view. Well then, I'll be off then. I need to find someone."

"Umm… let me help you then. I'm a teacher so I might know who this person you're searching." Yukiji offered her help.

"Oh, thank you for your offer, Katsura-san. I've been having a hard time to find her..." their voices faded as they walked out of the room.

"_Huh, what a weird day…" _Hinagiku thought to herself before she resumed her works.

* * *

So, how's the story? I really hoped that I did it right. Please read and review because I love to read your comments and it helps me to improve the story. I _might_ continue the story if I receive positive feedback from you guys (and girls too). Well, 'till next time!


	2. Chapter 2: The new student

Thanks a lot for those of you who had reviewed. I felt really happy when I saw the reviews. It motivates me a lot. Since I've just finished my Final a few days ago, I'm having a lot of free time in my hands right now. So I might update the story in these few days. Hope that you'll be looking forward to it. Well, enough of my blabbering. I present to you, Hayate The Combat Butler, Remake!

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Chapter 2_: The new student_

The day started just like any other ordinary day for Hinagiku Katsura. As she walked at the main courtyard as she usually does, she greeted the students she met there as usual. Since she usually arrives two hours earlier than the actual school hours, she would go up to the clock tower and started her duties.

After she had finished her works, the bell would ring and she would go to her classroom as usual, hoping the day would end soon. She had become too accustomed to this routine that it had made her bored, but she can't show it to the other students as she was supposed to become a role model for the students. She had always hoped one day, her life would be of somewhat more interesting.

"Students, please settle down. I have an announcement to make. (Ahem) I have just received the news that a transfer student would be joining us today." The teacher said.

Hinagiku listened briefly to the teacher without any sense of interest. She doesn't have the time to care about that since she still have a lot of other work that needs to be done. Whether it is a student or a teacher, none of it concerns her and so she paid the least possible of attention to the announcement and continued her reading.

"I hope that you would treat him nicely and become the best of friends. Well then, what are you waiting for, come in!" The teacher called for the new student.

Moments later, a young adolescence, probably around 16-17 years old walked into the class. The boy, tall by any standard walked into the room to stand beside the desk, a kind but slightly mischievous smile playing on his lips. The smile reached his eyes and his entire face seemed to beam happiness to the class but yet with a subtlety that was relaxing and gave off an aura of trustworthiness

"Good morning. My name is Hayate Ayasaki. I had just transferred here a few days ago. I hope that we could become good friends." The student said with a beam on his face after he entered the class.

The rest of the class wondered how he could get into the school as prestigious as this. Most of them were thinking about how poor this boy is, judging from his worn-out black jacket that was patched up here and there. He had a seedy face and his hair is a mess. None of them paid any attention to him as they regard him of someone who isn't worth looking at. None of them, but Hinagiku Katsura. When she heard the name, she quickly lifted her head up. It gave her the confirmation that this person is the same person she met yesterday.

"Umm…well then Hayate-kun, you can take the empty seat near the window." The teacher instructed him.

After thanking the teacher, he went over to his seat and greeted the person next to him before he sat down and waited for the teacher to continue her lesson.

Not long after that, the bell signalling recess could be heard throughout the school. Unlike the other students who went down to the cafeteria for their lunch, the boy just sat there and pulled out a small lunchbox. She then approached him and said hello.

"Hi Hayate-kun! Do you mind if I join you?"

He looked up and smiled. "Oh, it's you, Hinagiku-san. Please, have a seat." The boy said before pulling out a chair for her.

"Have you met the person you were looking for?"

"Oh, yes I did. Your sister was a big help. If it weren't because of Yukiji-sensei, I would never found her. After all, this school sure is big."

"I'm sure it is." She said with a laugh. "So... how's your first day?"

"Oh, it's fun. The school really is an interesting place." Hayate paused for a moment, munching his lunch. "Does this school have any extra-curricular activities for the students? I'm having a lot of free times these days, so I'd like to spend them doing something."

"Sure. There are lots of them. But what kind of club do you wish to join?"

"Do you have Kendo club?"

"Of course."

"Oh great! I've always wanted to join the club. Who do I have to meet to be enrolled into the club?"

"That would be me. I'm the captain of the club. You're welcomed to join the club if you want. We'll be having a meeting tomorrow, after school."

"Thank you very much, Hinagiku-san. I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then." He said happily.

Later on that day, Hinagiku decided to stay back at school, as usual. Since it is the beginning of the year, the documents that she would have to look at were doubled than the usual. It made her office on the top floor of the tower which is usually spacious, now crammed with so many paper that movement from one side of the room to the other almost impossible.

With a deep sigh, she walked to the clock tower with a high anticipation that the members of the student council would be there to lend her a hand. However, much to her dismay, not only they were not there, they even had messed up all the documents that she had painstakingly arranged.

"_THAT'S IT! I can't stand them any longer! Tomorrow, I'll give them a piece of my mind and teach them to be more responsible!" _Hinagiku roared in her mind angrily. But then, she changed her mind.

"…_Oh what's the point… they'll just say that they're sorry and I'll forgive them as usual. Might as well I start arranging these documents… again." _

Defeated, she shuffled to her desk before taking the papers and immersed herself into the never-ending paper works. After a good few hours of writing, a lot of sighing and the occasional cursing, she finally realised that it was getting dark. A quick glance at the timepiece revealed to her that the time is a quarter to seven.

_ "Oh no! I'll be late! Mom will surely get angry at me this time!" _With that, the girl quickly packed her belongings and darted for the elevator.

In less than five minutes, she had passed the front gate that is actually quite far from the clock tower. Three quarter of a mile to be exact and she did it without even breaking a sweat. She then took a short cut so that she could reach her house quicker. The short cut, however, is actually is a series of winding back alleys and narrow routes that most people wouldn't even know it existed.

As she rushed through the alleys, a particular noise caught her attention. It was the sound of someone fighting. She would typically avoid these kinds of things as it is none of her business and it would be troublesome if she got caught in the fight. Furthermore, it is getting darker as the time passes by and she doesn't want to be scolded by her mother.

Still, she peeked into the corner just like a curious little kitten wondering around without knowing that danger lies ahead. She kept reminding herself that 'curiosity kills the cat', but her curiosity was too much for her to contain. She was surprised when she saw a group of students, wearing the Hakuo Academy uniform beating up what seemed to her a beggar wearing a worn-out jacket.

"_I know that I'm not supposed to get myself into fights, but they are the students of the academy. As the Student Council President, I must put a stop into this!" _The girl said with a firm resolve. She then walked out of her hiding spot and shouted at the boys.

"HEY! What do you think you're doing!"

The boys who were occupied by their victim finally taken her presence into notice. With a mocking tone, one of them scoffed.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't the President. What brings you here?"

"I asked you a question…!" She retorted back angrily.

"Oh, we were just telling him that Hakuo Academy doesn't need poor people like…" His sentenced was cut short by Hinagiku who is by now, enraged with the boy's statement.

"Who do you think you are! You better leave him alone or…"

"Or what? Are you going to beat the hell out of us? I'd like to see that happens." He said mockingly, followed by his friends who burst into laughter.

"If it comes to that, I would do so without any hesitation." She said resolutely.

"Oh really? Well then, I guess we'll just have to teach you not to poke your nose in other people's business."

One of them tightened a fist and lunged forward. He sent a powerful punch directed at her face, yet Hinagiku easily dodged the punch by stepping aside to her left. The boy, who had inserted a great deal of force into his punch, lost his balance and fell. His momentum carried him sliding across the ground. His chin scraped against the rough surface of the road. Dust stuck to his face. Then, one of her attackers attempted to kick Hinagiku's temple from her blind spot.

However, Hinagiku, as if she had seen it coming, casually bent her head back. The heel of his left leg passed by a few millimeters in front of her eyes. Hinagiku moved like the leaves of a tree swaying in the wind, without hesitation. After dodging his kick, she immediately swept the boy's pivoting leg, making him trip and fall down on all fours to the ground. She then landed a blow directly under his jaw, causing him to fell backwards.

Seeing their friends easily beaten by the girl, the rest of them began to lose their fighting spirit and backed away. Their leader, ordered them to return, but none of them would do so.

"I don't ever want to see your sorry face in front of me ever again."

"You… This isn't the last time you would see us. Next time, you would be sorry for messing with us." He said before pulling into a retreat.

"Humph, losers…"

The girl then shifted towards the person lying on the ground and turned him over so that she could have a better look at his face. To her surprise, the person is actually the new student. His face blood-smeared face was bruised and full of cuts. She pitied the boy and tried to carry him somewhere he could be treated. However, he was too heavy for her and she had to drag him instead. Her house seemed like it was the best option at that time since she would only need to walk a few meters to reach there.

When she reached her house, her mother was waiting with a very sour look on her face. It seems like she has been waiting there for quite some time now.

"HINAGIKU KATSURA! Where were you! Do you know how late the time…" she suddenly stopped when she saw the thing Hinagiku had been dragging behind her. "…what's that?"

"Mom, I can't talk now. Could you help me to get him into the house? He's seriously injured." Hinagiku pleaded. Her mom then opened the door and helped to carry the limped body into the hall where they placed him on the couch. Right afterwards, Hinagiku went to look for the first aid kit while her mother prepared a basin of lukewarm water with some towels before she wiped his face from the dirt and blood.

"What happened to him? He looks like was beaten up pretty badly." Her mom asked.

"He was." Hinagiku then recounted her experience just now and told her mother about it. They were silent for a while before the boy finally moved.

"Ugh…what happened?" He said while trying to sit up.

"Oh, you're finally awake! Hina-chan and I were very worried just now." Hinagiku's mother said.

"There's nothing that you should be worrying about. You're at my house now. You should get some rest. You were hurt pretty badly." Hinagiku said while ushering him to lie down.

"Oh, thank you for your hospitality, but I must go now."

"But you're injured! You should at least rest here for a night…"

"Mom…you do realize that there's a teenage girl of the same age as he is in this house…" Hinagiku said, a little bit exasperated.

"Hina-chan…! Don't be so rude! Can't you see that he's hurt? We should take care of him."

"I think Hinagiku-san's right. I ought to go home now."

"Are you sure? Can't you at least stay for dinner?" The woman said with a slightly disappointed tone in her voice.

"I really am grateful for your help, but my house is quite far from here and furthermore, it's quite late now." The boy said while limping to the door.

"Well…if that's the case, I'll send you home with my car. Come with me." She said while leading him towards the garage.

"Oh, I would really appreciate that, Mrs. Katsura."

"Geez, don't call me that! It makes me feel as if I'm really old. Just call me Mokoto, alright?"

"Okay…Mokoto-san." He then turned to Hinagiku. "Thank you so much Hinagiku-san. You've saved my life twice now. I really don't know how to…"

"Nah…don't mention it. After all, you did save my Onee-chan."

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"You shouldn't come to school if you're not feeling well."

The boy, however, bid her goodbye and rode off with her mother in an old Honda. She watched the car as it sped towards the main road. When she finally lost sight of the car, she went inside and took a bath before waiting for her mother at the dining table.

Her mother didn't return until it was half past nine. Hinagiku had almost worried because she had waited for her mother for almost an hour now. When her mother finally returns, she apologises for her lateness before she sat down and they had their meal.

"He really is poor, isn't he?" Her mother suddenly said.

"Why would you say that?"

"Just look at him! His jacket looks all tattered and really worn out. It seems like he had no other cloth he could wear but that old jacket. Furthermore, do you know why I was late? We had to take a few highways just to reach the forest where he is supposedly lived. When we arrived there, he told me that the path in front of us is impassable by any vehicle and he would go up the hill by foot. I asked him how much further he would have to go and he said "Oh, not very far now. Just a few kilometers." Really! He must've lived in a hut or something."

"Geez mom! You shouldn't judge others by the way they looked. Ah, I'm tired. I'm going to bed now." She said while stomping her feet towards her room and slammed the door.

"What's wrong with her?" Her mother said confusedly.

* * *

Hinagiku leaned against the door, looking blankly forward. Her mind was flooded with her distant and painful memories. She walked towards her bed before she sat on it and stared at the moon that was the only source of light in her room.

"_Why does everybody have to think negatively about poor peoples? He is, in a way, just like me… from a long time ago…"

* * *

_

I hope I'll be seeing you guys soon. Till then, take care of yourself and don't forget to R&R!_  
_


	3. Chapter 3: Unexpected turn of events

Chapter 3 as promised! I noticed that this story is getting a little slow, so I've decided to speed it up a little. Hope that you'll enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 3_: Unexpected turn of events _

After Hinagiku had changed into her Hakuo uniform, she went down for her breakfast. She crept down the stairs with a fear in her heart that her mother might be angry with her after last night. She always knew she had anger issues, but she had never successfully overcome it. To her relief, her mother smiled sweetly at her and gave her a warm hug as she usually does.

"Hina-chan, I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have said that…"

"Don't worry about it mom! I'm also sorry for behaving like that last night."

"Well then, how about you invite him here today? I was planning to bake some biscuits." Her mother suggested.

"(?) But you rarely bake anything…" Hinagiku said in a confused manner before her mother cut her short.

"You better hurry up now if you don't want to be late. It's already 9.30." Mokoto said, causing Hinagiku to grab her bread and rushed towards the door.

After a few minutes of running, she realised that she was tricked by her mother… again. Her watch told her that the time was 8.30 a.m., not 9.30 a.m. like her mother told her.

_ "She's really good at tricking others, isn't she?"_ Hinagiku sighed upon realising her mother's intention to make her leave early so that she couldn't argue with her mother about the idea. She then enjoyed her walk as she has plenty of time to spend before she arrives to school.

When she arrived at her class, she took her seat and planned of what she would do for the rest of the day. Then, the sound of the door sliding open could be heard. all of the sudden, all of the students in the class gasped in surprise.

A young man, wearing the Hakuo Academy uniform, which comprises of a dark-blue jacket with a necktie, emerges from the door. Never before the students had seen such a student like this before. His mid-length blue hair was just appropriate to give a clean appearance. His tall figure gave off a sense of charisma that any girl would easily fall for. In addition, his eyes that shared the same colour as his hair sparkled even without the portraying sunlight. He then took his seat at the same place as the new student that came yesterday.

"Umm... that seat is taken…" A student informed him.

"Hmm? By whom?" He asked.

"By Ayasaki-kun, the new student that came yesterday."

"Well, in that case, this seat is rightfully mine."

"WHAT! S-so you're Ayasaki-kun?" The girl said in surprise, hardly believing his eyes. And so did the rest of the class.

"Yes, I'm Hayate Ayasaki, the same person who came yesterday. Is there any problem?"

"N-no…it's just that you looked…different."

"Really...?" Before anyone else could ask him other questions, the teacher entered the class and started the day's lesson.

* * *

"So... where's this Kendo club meeting is being held?"

"The meeting's held at the Kendo club building, but I don't think that there's going to be anyone there right now. The members are usually busy at these times..." She suddenly stopped as she realised something that wasn't quite right. "…Wait a minute. Your face was full of cuts and bruises last night. How come there aren't any right now?"

"Well, I guess that both you and your mother had done a very good job at treating my wounds. I suppose that's why they've disappeared now." He said in response. Hinagiku knew that injuries as bad as he had suffered last night couldn't heal in just one day but she decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

She led the way to a remote corner of the school, where the Kendo club building is supposed to be. When they arrived there, the boy couldn't believe his eyes as he was expecting something grand from the school of this scale. He was surprised to see that the building was actually an old, modified storage room.

"This club wasn't exactly a hit with the students, but still…" She said with a faint smile before leading the way inside.

Despite the age of the building itself that was very old, the interior is on the contrary, was far more tidy and orderly. Even though it is quite small, it still has enough equipment that looked very well maintained.

"So, how is it? I've arranged this place myself." The girl said proudly.

"Oh, I really like the atmosphere in here. You've done a really great job, Hinagiku-san." He complimented.

"Thank you for your kind words, but we better start now." Hayate then walked to one of the shelves to choose his shinai.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hinagiku said crossly.

"Err… I umm… taking this sword…"

"Not so fast my friend. Before I could let you use the sword, you have to learn about Kendo itself first. There's nothing more dangerous than having someone who had never hold a sword before to fight in a duel."

"Oh, alright then, Hinagiku-sensei."

"First things first, don't call me sensei; it sounded a little too awkward."

"Sorry, Hinagiku-san."

"In a usual, standard kendo duel, one would wear a jacket called _kendogi _or _keikogi, _and a _hakama, _a garment separated in the middle to form two wide trouser legs, just like the one I'm wearing right now. The fighter would then wear a set of protective gears called the _bōgu_, which consists of _men_ (head protector), _dô_ (body armour), _tare_ (waist protector) and finally _kote_ (gauntlets). You should also wrap a cotton towel (_tenugui_) around your head, under the _men_, to absorb perspiration and provide a base for the _men _to fit comfortably. After that…" Hinagiku's lecture went on and on, so long, that it made the boy feeling a little drowsy.

Realising this, the girl ended her speech and told him to get onto his feet. She then chose two swords, one for her and the other one is for the boy.

"I want you to strike me with this." Hinagiku said before handing over the sword to Hayate.

"Eh? B-but I might hurt you…"

"Don't worry; I'm just going to test you. Give me your best attack."

"A-alright then, here goes nothing." He took a deep breath before leaped towards her. Hinagiku, however, saw an opening and used it for her advantage. With a hit on his hand, she managed to disarm him, a move that would earn her one point in a tournament.

"Hmm…your lunge is quite good, but you still have a lot more to learn. One of the first mistakes I saw is that you didn't have a good footing. The way you're standing right now makes it easier for your opponent to throw you off-balance. You also left parts of your body unprotected. But that is something that we can easily correct with continuous practice…"

Not long after that, they began to duel again, and again, and again until Hinagiku finally realised that she had once again lost track of time. Furthermore, none of the members who were supposed to come to the meeting came, so she decided to cancel it.

"It seems like it's getting late now. We should go home. We'll continue our practice tomorrow... if you want." She added when she saw him limping.

"_Uh-oh, I guess I overdid it again."_

The boy, however, agreed to that idea and thanked her for the lesson. It seems like he had a good time practising even though his left eye was twitching, obviously trying to hide the pain from the continuous beatings.

He looked at her and realised that she looked a little tired. He took a while to think of what to say to her before the words finally slip from his mouth.

"Would you like to have a drink with me?"

"Eh? What did you just said?" She asked again. She was a little bit surprised, as nobody had ever asked her to go for a drink.

"You looked a little tired, so I thought that a drink might help to boost your energy. I was thinking about some tea. Coffee would be good too. But you would have to recommend me a shop as I'm still not used to this city."

"Err…sure. But I don't have enough money for that…"

"Don't worry. I've just received my paycheck yesterday." He said while flashing an envelope

"Eh? You have a paycheck? Do you go to work, Hayate-kun? Why do you need to work?" She asked.

"Well, I think it's because I believe in the saying 'one must work if one wants to eat'." Hinagiku chuckled as she heard that.

"That's funny, Hayate-kun. Anyway, what's your job?"

He gave her a mischievous smile before he replied. "That's a secret"

"Okay… okay… I won't force you to tell me about it if you don't want to. We'd better go now or it'll be dark by the time we got home."

Both of them then left the school and headed downtown. They then turned to a small route where not many people are wondering about.

"Umm… Hinagiku-san, where are you taking me to?"

"We're going to a coffee shop where I used to work in my free time. The coffee they make there's great, and so does the food. Let's see now, it should be around this corner… ah, there it is!"

Right in front of them, stood a small coffee shop at the far end of the route. A little sign written 'Café Donguri' (t/l: Café Acorn) gave the boy a hint about the name of the place. Even though it was small, it is still well decorated and looked far more lively compared to the shops around it. One could feel a warm and cosy feeling as soon as entering the shop. The place, however, looked empty with no customer.

The two of them took their seat and waited for the waiter. They then had a little chat to pass the time.

"Ah…it's been a while since I've been to this place. You know, I used to work at this place during my holidays."

"Oh really? Well, it seems like you sure know how to choose your place…" A man suddenly appeared behind the boy with a serving dish on his hand. Judging from his appearance, he might be the waiter of the joint.

"Hina-chan! It's been a while. How're you doing? It seems like you've brought a friend too." The waiter greeted.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. Hayate-kun, this is Hokuto Kaga-san. He's the owner of this shop."

"You're flattering me, Hina. I'm just the assistant manager of this shop, not the owner. Well, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend here?"

"I'm Hayate Ayasaki, Hinagiku-san's classmate. Nice to meet you, Hokuto-san."

"Nice to meet you too, Hayate-kun. So tell me, what can I get for both of you?"

"I'd like some coffee, as usual. As for Hayate-kun…"

"Some coffee would be fine too."

"Okay then, two cups of coffee. I'll be back in a while." The waiter said before he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Hayate-kun, is it possible for me to meet your parents?"

"Eh? Why would you want to do that?"

"Well... do you know about the scholarship that Hakuo Academy offers to those who achieved excellent results in their studies? I was hoping to talk with your parents about it."

"If that's the case, I'm afraid that that isn't possible. My parents… passed away a long time ago." He said with a lowered face.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry if I said something wrong…"

"No, don't worry about it, Hinagiku-san. After all, that's all a thing of the past. I've moved on." He said as if it doesn't affect him. Yet, Hinagiku managed to trace a hint of gloom in his tone. Neither of them spoke a thing after that

The waiter came not long after that and after a quick drink, they paid their bill and left the shop.

"So... shall I walk you back to your house? My house's in the same direction as yours."

"Sure... Oh, that reminds me. Would you like to drop by my house for a while? My mom's baking some biscuits today."

"I would love to." He replied shortly.

They then walked to her house while discussing about the day's lesson before Hayate noticed something.

"Hinagiku-san, it seems like there's a fire somewhere over there." He pointed out at a direction.

"It seems so. Hey, wait a minute, THAT'S MY HOUSE!" Hinagiku suddenly shouted.

Both of them rushed towards the source of the smoke and saw the most unpleasant sight. Her beautiful house has turned into a burning inferno.

"MY MOM! SHE'S IN THERE! I'VE GOT TO SAVE HER!" Hinagiku cried before darting towards the house.

"No Hinagiku-san! You'll get yourself killed!" Hayate said before pulling her back.

"LET ME GO! SHE'LL DIE IF I DON'T DO ANYTHING!" She said in tears before she fell to the ground, still being held by Hayate.

"Listen to me, Hinagiku-san. I want you to call for help. I'll go in and find your mother."

The boy then jumped into a small pond in the house's garden, soaking himself wet before ramming the door with his shoulder to get in.

Hinagiku mustered all of her remaining strength and stood up before she went to the nearest phone booth and called the fire brigade. By that time, her neighbours had already formed a team to help to put the fire out.

* * *

"MOKOTO-SAN! WHERE ARE YOU!" The boy called out. He was now in the conflagration finding his way through the burning hellhole. The house was coming down and he was searching around frantically for Hinagiku's mother.

"_Think, THINK! Where could she possibly right now?" _In an instance, he recounted what Hinagiku had told him just now.

"_THAT'S IT! She told me her mother was going to bake some biscuits, she must've been to the kitchen!"_

The boy dashed to the kitchen and found the women lying motionlessly at the floor. He decided that wasn't the time for him to ask the 'are you alright' question and proceeded to lift her up and hurried to the door, only to find that it was blocked by a fallen wall, totally denying him the option of running out of the door.

"_Oh man… why does the world always has to go against me…" _He sighed upon his misfortune and looked for other means of escape. Luckily enough, there was a window right in front of him.

"_Oh well, it's not like I have other choice, this house is coming down anyway…" _with that, he broke the window, jumped out and ducked just in time before an explosion of hot gasses shot out of the windows, nearly burning his hairs.

The firefighters, who realised his presence, quickly came to help him and brought them to a safer place where they tended the wounded women. He on the other hand, declined their help and asked for the condition of the women instead. After one of the paramedics confirmed that she only had minor burns, he let out a relieved sigh. He turned to Hinagiku who is tending her mother.

"_Now what am I going to do with them…" _He let a sigh once again before walking outside and made a phone call.

* * *

Chapter 4 is still under construction and I'll finish it very soon. I'm having a little writer's block. Please R&R!


	4. Chapter 4: The mansion

Hey guys! I'm really sorry for the late update. I'm currently on a holiday and the excessive free time had poisoned my brain (Seriously, I have too much time that I don't know what I should use it for). And to add to the trouble, I'm also having a really bad case of author's block (if you know what I mean). Anyway, please enjoy the latest chapter of Hayate The Combat Butler, Remake!

* * *

Chapter 4_: The mansion _

Hinagiku looked around the room. It was a medium-sized western-style bedroom. Various paintings adorned the walls. Some of them were originals, but they were mostly reproductions of various famous and not-so-famous works, primarily from the European Renaissance and the Early Modern Age.

"_Hey, wait a minute! Where am I? This isn't my room!" _Hinagiku contemplated before she recalled yesterday's incident.

_"Oh yeah…my house was... But where's my mother?" _She felt a little worried, considering the fact that her mother was injured. But then she decided that her priority now is to find out where she is right now.

She then got up and went to the glass door at the corner of the room. When she opened the door, she found out that she was standing at a terrace facing a very fine-looking garden that had obviously been well taken care of. The garden had many types of flowering plants and the air was very fresh. She then went down by the staircase beside her and started looking around for anyone who might be able to tell her where she is. Suddenly, her eyes caught a glimpse of a man in an overall at a distant. The man was crouching down with a pot beside him. It seems like he was planting a tree.

"Umm…excuse me… Do you know where this place is?" The man stopped what he was doing, stood up and turned to her.

"Ah, Hinagiku-san, you're awake." Hayate said nonchalantly while dusting his hands.

"Hayate-kun! What are you doing here?" The girl asked in surprise.

He looked at her as if the question had the most obvious answer in the world and doesn't need to be answered.

"I was planting this tree before you came."

"Do you work here?"

"Yes."

"Where are we exactly?" Hinagiku asked but Hayate looked at his watch before he collected his tools.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hinagiku-san. I would have to go now. I'll talk to you later…" He said and hurried off before Hinagiku could ask him anything else.

"Hey, wait a minute!" She called, but Hayate had already disappeared behind the tall shrubs. After looking for the boy for a while, she finally surrendered before heading back to the room she was in before. She then realised that the room was actually a part of a mansion. When she got into the room, she sat down on the bed, thinking of what should be done next. Suddenly, a knock could be heard coming from the door. Hinagiku opened the door and found a man, tall by any standard in black tailcoat standing in front of her. Even though he was smiling, Hinagiku could sense a sinister aura emanating out from him.

"Good morning, Katsura-san, would you like to have your breakfast in bed? Or would you prefer the dining room?" The man asked in a very formal tone.

"Err…who are you?"

"Please forgive my discourteousness. I am a butler serving under the master of this house. You can just call me butler." He introduced himself briefly.

"Do you know where my mother is?"

"Your mother is at the dining room. So then, shall I bring your meal here or do you want to go there?"

"I'd like to go there please."

"Alright then. Right this way, Katsura-san." The butler said with a bow.

The two of them went through several long, carpeted hallways decorated with various paintings and ornamental armours before they finally stopped before two huge doors. The butler opened the two doors in chorus and motioned for her to enter.

Hinagiku soon found out that this so called 'dining room' was actually a very large hall. Situated in the middle of the place was an extremely long table. It looked like it could easily seat a hundred people. The table was magnificently decorated by numerous candles, bunches of flowers and baskets full of fruits.

"Hina-chan! Over here!" Her mother called her. She was already at the table, waving at Hinagiku.

The butler pulled out a chair and motioned for Hinagiku to sit. After she had taken her seat, he poured some tea for Hinagiku and her mother, placed it in front of them and replaced the teapot on the trolley before serving them with two plates full of confections.

"I have prepared some Fortnum and Mason's Darjeeling second flush and some petit fours as snacks for the elevenses. Is that fine with you?" The two of them nodded before the butler excused himself.

"Amazing, isn't it? We lost our house yesterday but we got ourselves a mansion today." A soon as she finished saying that, she stood up and explored the hall. There were many vases and paintings that looked very much expensive in the hall. She couldn't help herself but to look at the items with great interest.

"Geez, you really should really act like someone who is sick, mother. After all, you were injured, didn't you?"

"Don't worry about it, Hina-chan. When I woke up today, my wounds have already been treated by someone. See?" Mokoto said, showing her bandaged arm before holding a large crystal vase from its stand.

"Mom! You shouldn't touch other people's properties! You might…" And just like in a very comical situation, the vase fell and broke into pieces. The two of them looked at each other in horror. To make matters worse, the butler entered before they could even clean the mess up. The two of them began to tremble.

"Is there any problem? I thought I heard a crashing sound just now." He asked before noticing the broken vase on the carpeted floor. He then smiled. "Oh, there's nothing to worry about that. I don't think that the master would even realise if it wasn't at its usual place. He had always detested the vase anyway." The butler said reassuringly.

Both of them bowed down apologetically and promised that it would never happen again. He accepted their apology. The two than continued their meal. The butler stood at their side, in case they might break…or…need him for anything.

"I almost forgot. The master had told me what happened to your house… very sad indeed. He wanted to offer you to stay here for the time being."

"Are you sure that's alright? We wouldn't want to trouble you and your master."

"Don't worry, Katsura-san. I'm sure that the master would be delighted to have guests. After all, we rarely have any."

"Oh, okay then. Thank you for your kindness. We really appreciate it." Mokoto thanked the butler.

"I've been wondering, who's the master of this house?" Hinagiku asked.

"Yeah, can we meet him? We wanted to thank him for his generosity." Mokoto asked next.

"I'm afraid that isn't possible. The master had just departed for Munich, Germany. He's having a conference there. He's supposed to be there for three days."

"Oh, I see…" Hinagiku sipped her tea.

"Would you like to take a tour around the mansion?" He offered.

"Sure. Why not." The three of them then got out of the hall and the butler began explaining to them about the mansion.

"This mansion is estimated to be approximately 500 square kilometres in floor area, excluding the forest surrounding this mansion." The butler started his lecture. "This mansion is divided into two main areas. The first one is the guest wing, which is where we are right now. It has 95 individual areas, each with three bedrooms in it. We also have a few Olympic-sized pools, tennis courts, a shooting range and, oh, a golf course that was completed its construction three weeks ago." The Katsuras' mouths were agape with amazement at the sheer grandeur of the mansion.

"The second area, which is the main mansion, is 7 times larger than the guest wing. That is where the master lives." The butler paused and brought them to a window. He then pointed to a castle, situated on top of a hill. The castle looked very much like the castles that Hinagiku imagined would be in fairy tales. The walls of the castle were shining brightly, shone by the morning sun.

"If the mansion is this huge, how am I going to go to school?" Hinagiku asked. "There's no way I could reach the front gate of the mansion by walking, let alone reaching the school."

"I was just coming to that." The butler then led them to the side of the mansion, where a large building stood.

When he opened the entrance of the building, it became clear to them that the building was actually a garage. Inside, rows and rows of cars appeared before them. The cars stored there ranged from the sporty Ferraris to the luxurious Rolls Royce limousines. They could even detect the faint new-car smell, indicating that the cars are brand new.

"The master ordered these cars a few weeks ago and we've just received the first shipment yesterday. We're expecting the rest them to arrive later today."

"(Sigh) Your master sure is loaded." Said Hinagiku. The butler let out a smile.

"You're welcomed to stay here as long as you want and use all of the amenities here at anytime." The butler said before he continued. We'll be going to the shopping mall…"

"Wait, why are we going to the mall?"

"The master told me that your entire house was burned down and none of your belonging could be saved, so the master asked me to bring you to the mall so that you could buy some clothes and your school books."

"But we don't have any money…" The thought that she had just become poor depresses her.

"Don't worry about that. The master had prepared some money in this. I hope it would be enough to cover your expenses." The butler said before handing over a wallet to Mokoto.

"We can't have that! We didn't do anything to earn it!"

"He knew that you would say that. He said that you could just consider this as a thank you gift for your help before. He didn't tell me what kind of help though…"

"Eh? But we've never met him before…" Hinagiku protested before she was cut short by her mother.

"Well, in that case, do tell him that we're really grateful for his generosity." The butler nodded.

"I'll be waiting for you at the entrance hall at 4 o'clock." He said before bowing down and left them.

As promised, they met the butler at the entrance hall before he escorted them to a limousine which had already waited for them. Mokoto was very excited, as she never had the experience of riding a car as luxurious as this.

"I'll be back in two hours. I hope that the money would cover your expenses. If not, you could ask for some more from me or use the credit card in there." The butler said before leaving them at the mall.

Once the butler left, they took a peek at the wallet and found out that there's at least one million yen in that purse. Hinagiku would have to do her best to stop her mother from spending all the money at a jewellery store. Her mother then picked a very cute dress for her which something she insisted that she would never wear. Two hours later, the two walked out of the mall with their hands full of shopping bags, and the wallet was much lighter than the time they first got it.

Later that night, while they were having their dinner (Fresh spinach salad with sauté chevre as appetiser, risotto with grouper and vegetables as the main course and some chocolate mousse with yogurt and sour cherry sauce as desserts), they were disturbed by the sound of a helicopter landing.

Hinagiku looked out of the window and saw a figure walking out of the helicopter. His coat fluttered behind, blown by the gale of winds produced by the helicopter. Since it was very dark, it was almost impossible to have a clear look at his face.

"Who's that?" Hinagiku asked the butler.

"That's the master."

"Eh? I thought that he's not supposed to be back now, right?" Mokoto asked in confusion and the butler let out a sigh.

"He wasn't… but I guess he got bored and decided to leave the meeting early." The butler said with a face-palmed gesture. "I would have to give him 'the talk' again…"

"That's a very troublesome master you have there." Mokoto said, chuckling.

"He is. Oh, could I ask you to meet him tomorrow? I'm sure he's very tired now."

"Sure."

"Please excuse me. I would have to attend the master now." The butler said with a bow before leaving them. After finishing their dinner, Hinagiku and her mother went to bed.

The next day, after changing into her school uniform, Hinagiku and her mother went down to the dining room for breakfast. They were quite surprised to see Hayate sitting at the table in his uniform, eating his steak. They also noticed that the chair that he was sitting on was comparatively different from the other chairs. It was a high backed chair that looked very much like a throne.

"Oh, hi Hinagiku-san, Mokoto-san!" The boy said cheerfully when he realised their presence.

"Eh! What are you doing here, Hayate-kun?" Hinagiku asked.

"Do you have a habit of asking obvious questions, Hinagiku-san? As you can see, I'm…"

"Here you go, master. I've made the dessert just as you have asked me to." The butler said when he entered via a smaller door beside the hall, probably for servants.

Both Hinagiku and her mother turned to Hayate in surprise.

"WHAT! YOU'RE THE MASTER OF THIS HOUSE!" Both of them cried in surprise.

"If being the owner of this house and the employer of the servants here is what you would define as the master of this house, then yes, I'm the master of this house."

"B-b-but you looked so poor the last time…"

"Ah, yes. Well, there's the saying 'everything is not what it seems', right? Or perhaps there's the 'don't judge the book by its cover'." The boy said before he took his spoon and tasted the dish served by the butler.

"I must say, this Punschkrapfen is the best Austrian delicacy you've ever made, butler."

"Thank you for the compliment, master."

"Well, we better go for school now, Hinagiku-san or we'll be late. My house is quite far from the academy you know." Hayate said to the still surprised Hinagiku.

* * *

Well, I hope that this story is up to your satisfaction, my dear readers. I know that this chapter kinda...sucks, so I'll make it up to all of you with chapter 5 which I'm going to publish soon (It's 60% complete).

And from the next chapter, I'll start adding new characters to this fanfic. So look forward to it and don't forget to review the story, I could really use feedback from you guys to make the story better, let it be grammar, tenses, or anything as the matter of fact. Ciaossu!


	5. Chapter 5: The new student and calamity!

Disclaimer: I do not own any names I've used in this or any other chapters. If there is a similarity with a person out there, it's purely coincidental.

WOW! It's been a long time since I've last written a disclaimer. Anyway... enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5_: The new student and calamity! _

"Hina, I heard that your house was burned down in an incident the other day. Is it true?" Asked one of the girls.

"How did you guys know about that?"

"Actually, we were strolling at the town two days ago, looking for something to pass the time while waiting for the school hours to be over when we saw a tall column of smoke rising to the sky coming from your house. When we got there, the house was in ruins…"

"Yeah. We approached the fireman and asked for you, but he said that a young man took both you and your mother away…"

"…and to add to the suspicion, you're with Hayata-kun today. Tell us, Hina. Did you went to a hotel, or did you stay at Hayata-kun's place?

"Oo~h somebody's got a boyfriend…" The other two said happily before they went nearer to her, making Hinagiku trapped.

"Well, actually I…" Hayate tried to explain the situation to them but Hinagiku quickly covered his mouth and continued for him.

"A-a-actually, Hayate-kun here sent both me and my mother to a relative's house. My mother and I stayed there for the mean time while waiting for my father to return from overseas."

"Really? But I thought the only relative you've got besides your mother and your father is Yukiji-sensei. But we know that you weren't there because we were at Yukiji's place, studying for the exam. Well, not much of a studying really. She got drunk before she could start the lesson." At that moment, Hinagiku knew that she's at a dead end. While still trying to keep Hayate's mouth shut, she tried to change the topic.

"What were you guys doing there? I thought that you were supposed to be in hospital. You said in your letter that the three of you had a fever and were unable to attend school."

"Fever? What fever?" Another girl asked before she was elbowed by the others.

"Don't listen to Izumi, Hina. She's still…err… delirious because of the fever."

"Did you guys lie to me?" Hinagiku now began to shake with anger, signalling the danger ahead.

"Err… bye Hina. See you later at class." The three quickly run away.

"YOU BETTER BE THERE OR I'LL MAKE SURE YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO GET IT FROM ME!" She yelled angrily at the top of her lungs.

"Geez, Hinagiku-san, you don't have to do that to me." Said Hayate who had released himself from Hinagiku. "Who were those girls?"

"They're known as the Students Council Trio. Miki Hanabishi, Izumi Segawa and Risa Asakaze. They're the laziest students in the school. They love to make fun out of others and always caused a lot of trouble. (Sigh) Let's go Hayate-kun. The class is starting." Hayate dared not to oppose her, as she looked very angry right now. The two of them then parted when they passed the clock tower because Hinagiku said that she had some works that needs to be taken care of in the Student Council room.

Later that day while the teacher was teaching World History, Hayate got a very ominous feeling as if there's something bad were to happen. He tried to clear his mind, but even that failed to calm him down. He looked around the room, only to find his classmates sleeping all around him, probably too bored with the teacher's teaching. Some of them were even drooling! The teacher however, paid no attention to it and gave her lecture as she usually does. Moments later, the sound of a plane flying at a low altitude could be heard.

Suddenly, a figure crashed through the window and rolled into the class. Fortunately, Hayate managed to lean backwards just in time. The students, who were fast asleep, suddenly woke up from the loud crashing noise. The figure than got up and ran to the window, yelling furiously to the sky.

"WHAT THE FU**! When I told you to get me to the class, I meant by the door, not the window! You son of a…" The student suddenly stopped when he saw the looks on the faces of the students.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

"Sorry, but who are you?" One of the students asked.

"Names are for friends. And since you're not a friend of mine, why should I tell you my name?" The bell then rang and he left the class without another word. All of the students, even the teacher were stunned, trying to absorb what had happened just now.

Nagi made a face-palmed gesture and said to herself "What a rude butler. I'll have Klaus to fire him later.

* * *

**Five days ago…**

"Mistress, I've found a person to replace Himegami-kun." Said a bespectacled, old…err…I mean middle aged man in a Germanic accent.

"Hmm? Who is it?" Asked Nagi. She was lying down at a couch, playing with her P*P.

"His name is Kyousuke Mizuhashi. I'm sure you're going to like him. Alright, come in!"

A few moments later, a young boy, a few years older than Nagi entered. Even though he was wearing a suit that made him looked very elegant, the evil smile carved on his face and the menacing aura emanating from him made Nagi felt very uneasy. She looked at the boy for a moment.

"Get someone else. I don't want him." She said simply before resuming what she was doing before.

"B-but mistress! He's the best candidate we got! He managed to defeat all of your guard robots in a matter of seconds. Surely…"

"I don't care whether he's the best or the worst. Look for someone else because that's your job as the Head Butler of the Sanzenin Family…" before she could finish her sentence, her character in the game died.

"Darn it! This is your entire fault, Klaus! I've been trying to get to this level for days! Now I would have to do it all over again." Upon hearing that, the boy let out a smirk.

"Excuse me, is that a F**al Fan**** game?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"What if we make a bet? If I can finish the entire game in less than half an hour you'll make me your butler. Agree?"

"You're on!" Nagi quickly agreed to the idea. She knew that she would win the bet since even the pros would have to take hours to finish the game.

...10 minutes later...

"I can't believe it!" Nagi held in her hands her P*P which is now displaying the death of the final boss before the credits roll. The boy looked at her, waiting for her to say something.

"Oh fine! You'll be my butler for the mean time… at least until we managed to find a new one."

* * *

Hayate walked at the edges of the forest. He wanted some peace and decided that the forest is the best place he could go. Hayate then sat down under a shady tree and closed his eyes, trying to get a nap. Before his eyes could even be firmly shut, his head suddenly tilted to a side as if repelled. A ray of silver lightning pierced the air where his head had just been. With a loud thunk, a very long knife embedded itself in the tree behind him.

"Damn, I missed. Just what I expected from you, Hayate." Said a male voice. When he opened his eyes, he saw the most irking sight in his life. Right there, in front of him, stood the person that made his 'grand entrance' at the class a few minutes ago.

"What are you doing here, Mikhailov?" Hayate said to the person coldly.

"Whoa! Calm down a bit. I'm here to say hello to my old pal. Oh, and could you please stop calling me by that name? I'm now known as Kyousuke Mizuhashi."

"Old pal? The last time I met you, you were trying to kill me. "

"Ha ha ha…_touché_."

"What are you doing here?" Hayate repeated his question.

"Actually, I have a mission that needs to be carried out for the organization, so I'll be here for a while."

"You're still working for the Mafia?"

"First of all, it's pronounced Mafiya. We're Russians, not the Italians. Secondly, I'm the 13th generation of the Mikhailov family. It's only a matter of time before I'll remove that demented grandpa of mine from the family business and I'll be the new boss. As for my father, let's just say he'll be in jail for a long time. And so, to correct your statement before, the Mafia's working for me, not the other way around." He said arrogantly. It seems like he was proud of himself.

"Whatever." Hayate replied simply.

"Well then, I'd have to go now. I have other things to do. Till next time." He then dashed to the trees and disappeared.

_ "I hope I wouldn't be seeing you ever again…"_ Hayate then got up and headed for the class since the recess is almost over before suddenly…

"DON'T MOVE!" Hayate saw a masked man, pointing a Kalashnikov at him.

"You're coming with me. If you make any move, I'll blow your head off." He was then brought back to his class where all the other students were held. They were all tied down. Suddenly, a voice broke the tension atmosphere.

"Hey you! What in the world do you want from us?" Asked Nagi bravely.

"What kind of stupid question is that? The only reason why all of you were held here is because we want all of your money! This is after all, a school for rich kids, right?"

"You idiots. This is a school, not a bank. We don't keep our money here. You should rob the Federal Reserve or something if you want money." She shook her head upon their stupidity. Their leader seemed to realise his mistake.

"She does have a point, boss." One of them agreed with Nagi.

"S-shut up! Even if they didn't keep their money here, we could just demand for a huge sum of ransom from their parents. Yeah, that's right. I'm sure they'll do that to save their precious kids." He nodded at his own intelligence.

"Yeah right. Your heads would have holes on them by that time. When they know that we're in trouble, they could just have the S.W.A.T. to take out all of you." Risa taunted.

"T-t-they wouldn't do that!" They began to tremble. The idea of having S.W.A.T. snipers on their head was simply horrifying.

"And why's that?"

"It's because we've planted a huge bomb at this school! If anyone were to enter this place, we would detonate it and all of you will turn into pieces! HAHAHAHA!" Their leader laughed, followed by his men. The students however, didn't even flinch.

"Hey, why aren't you panicking or something?" He asked confusedly.

"All of us have been used to hostage situations like this. It has become somewhat of a routine for us." One of the students from behind said.

"Yeah," another student agreed, "…besides, if you detonate the bomb, wouldn't you guys be dead too?" The question shook them, realising how poorly the plan was planned out.

"Oh, look at the time. It's almost 1.45 now. The show's starting in 15 minutes. I need to go home now. Kyousuke, take care of them." Nagi ordered.

"As you wished, mistress." A voice replied. All of the sudden, a shadow moved swiftly before anyone could even react. One by one, the ruffians began to fall. And then, Kyousuke appeared at the teacher's desk, playing with a knife.

"Oh come on! I didn't even break a sweat! You guys should at least put up a fight or something." He sighed before using the knife to cut the rope binding his mistress.

"Do you know that guy?" One of her students asked.

"He is, unfortunately, my butler."

"What about them?" Kyousuke pointed to the rest of the class.

"Do whatever you think is right." She said before leaving the class

"Hey! You should at least let us go before leaving!" Her classmates yelled.

The new butler sighed upon his master neglect and helped the rest of the class off. Finally, he dragged the fallen ruffians, leaving Hayate, whose hands are still tied behind.

"Hey, aren't you going to cut this rope for me?" Hayate asked the butler.

"Why would I? You can get out of it by yourself."

"Oh come on, don't be such a heartless person."

"I _am_ a heartless person. That's why I'm capable of torturing others without any regret. Speaking about torturing, I'm going to need your help with these scums. Personally, I'd prefer if Ocelot from the Metal G*** Sol** to help, but since he's fictional, you'd be of some use too."

"Why would I? You can do it by yourself." He retorted back cynically.

"I don't really care whether or not you're going to help me. I can take my sweet, sweet time torturing them for answer and the school might blow up while I was doing my work."

"You're a monster, Mikhailov."

"Thanks for the compliment." He said with a laugh. "Why are you declining my offer? You used to be very good at these kinds of things. Interrogation, is after all, one of your proficiency."

"I've changed, Mikhailov."

"Yes… I wondered what happened to you that made you changed. But still…that's your life and I don't want to have anything to do with it." He said with a smirk. "So, you're coming or not?" The two of them looked intently at each other before Hayate looked down in defeat.

"Fine… I'll do it."

* * *

"Hinagiku-san, do you know where the school vault is?"

"Why would you want to know about that?"

"Because if you don't, there's gonna be an explosion even bigger than the one on 4th of July." Hinagiku looked at the boy in confusion before Hayate explained the situation to her.

"Oh, I see…" Hinagiku nodded. Even after hearing such news, Hinagiku still managed to keep her composure. "It's under the school clock tower building. I'll show you the way." She then led them to the elevator and pressed a combination of buttons on the panel and the elevator started to move downward. After getting out of the elevator, they walked through a long pathway before entering a room and found themselves standing in front of a huge metal door. Hinagiku placed her student I.D. that looks like a passport with red cover at the small scanner beside the door and keyed-in some codes at the panel.

_"__Voice recognition test. Please identify yourself__." _A computer voice was heard when she finished entering the codes.

"Hinagiku Katsura, Student Council President of Hakuo Academy." She declared.

"_Access denied."_ The voice replied.

"What! Oh…it must've been the security measure. This school is under lockdown, and I don't have the required clearance to overrule the protocols…"

"Then, who might have the access?" Hayate asked.

"Well, only the board of directors have the codes, but none of them are present."

"Step aside. I have my access codes right here." Kyousuke said before showing them a small tube with the word 'C4' on its side. "I believe we can solve anything with a little… _boom_." He grinned.

"Hey, where did you get that?"

"Does it really matter?" He planted the bomb and walked out of the room with them and as soon as the door closes, he detonated the bomb. The ground beneath them shook and they waited for the dust to clear before proceeding into the room. To his surprise, the bomb didn't even left a mark on the door.

"What the fu**! What kind of a vault is this? Do they keep treasures or something in here?"

"No. This vault is used to store examination papers as well as school documents and records." Hinagiku explained.

"Why in the world would you need a vault as strong as this just to keep those worthless things?"

"I don't know, but if we failed to open it, then we'll be dead."

"Tch, I'm not going to get myself involved in this shit, so I'm out of here!" he said before searching something in his jacket. "Oh crap! I forgot to bring my teleportation device!"

"…Let me handle this, you two." Hayate finally said after watching them for quite some time now. He then took his student I.D. out and placed at the scanner. Hinagiku looked at it with a surprised expression.

"_Eh? A purple I.D.? Does that mean…" _Somehow, the I.D looked very similar to the one belonged to another girl she knew.

"Hayate Ayasaki, head of the Elite Class. Requesting a system override." The computer took a while before it answered.

"_Request approved. Please insert command lines_."

"Epsilon, Delta, 0, 3, 8, Stigma."

"_Access granted. Opening vault door, standby_." A bell then chimed before the door opened itself.

"Hmph, he's just lucky."

The three then entered the room. The room had rows and rows of tall and long shelves. The documents stored there had already been covered with an inch of dust, indicating how long the place hasn't been visited by anyone.

"Phew! This place has even more dust bunnies than my reading room." Kyousuke said before he searched for the bomb.

"You told me that you were from Eton, not Hakuo's Elite Class… why did you lie about that?" Hinagiku suddenly asked Hayate, who was looking at an old document.

"Your question was 'what was your _last school_?' not 'what was your _last class_."

"But still... being a member of the Elite Class is quite an achievement you know..."

"I've quitted that class a few months ago..." Said Hayate before he was interrupted by Kyousuke.

"What the hell are you guys doing over there, standing like a bunch of idiots…You should be looking for that friggin' bomb! Get your butts moving now…And you Ayasaki, if you want to flirt with that girl, do it somewhere else. That bomb's gonna explode any time now." Kyousuke said to them angrily before disappearing into one of the aisles.

"Geez, who does he think he is. He's very rude."

"He's the new student. You might not know this because you were in the Student Council room for the whole day."

"I know he's new. I'm in charge of handling students' application into Hakuo. But still, it seems like he knows you, Hayate-kun."

"O-oh, really? What makes you say that?" The slight hesitation gave Hinagiku the idea that he is hiding something from her.

"Hayate-ku~n, are you hiding something from me?" She said sweetly, but Hayate knew that she is threatening him.

"Err… of course not… Hinagiku-san."

The girl suddenly grabbed his collar and pulled him closer before she gave him a glare. It made Hayate tremble with fear.

"I'm not going to ask you again, so you better answer it now." The girl looked demonic now. Hayate had no choice but to tell her the truth.

"O-okay, but please let me go first." And he took a deep breath. "His real name is Alexander Mikhailov and he's on the wanted list in every country in the world for drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, larceny, political assassination, bribery, a few dozens of murder and many more. He's also associated with the mafia and other crime organisations throughout the world." Hayate gasped after saying all of that in one breath. Hinagiku looked at his scared face for a moment and laughed.

"Geez, Hayate-kun, you don't have to lie to me. I was just kidding." She laughed again.

"O-oh really?" Hayate laughed with her. "Anyway, we should split up now. We could cover more area by doing so."

The two of them then took different path and looked for the bomb. A few moments later, Hinagiku called for them, saying that she had found the bomb. Both Hayate and Kyousuke rushed towards the source of the voice. There, they found Hinagiku standing in front a tiny and intricate device. It had a digital timer that revealed to them that the bomb would be detonated in less than half an hour.

"Does this looks like a bomb?" Hinagiku asked.

"HOLY SHIT! That's not just a bomb, that's a Photonic Disintegrator! This stuff could wipe out a country from the map of the world easily. How in the world did they get their hands on this?" He looked at the small bomb in amazement.

"…"

"What?"

"By any chance, is that thing yours? You sure know quite a lot about that thing." Asked Hinagiku. The boy didn't answer, but he let out a grin.

"Do you know how to deactivate this device?" Hayate asked.

"Hell no! Why would I want to learn how to disable bombs? Sure, they did teach me about it in the academy, but I'd skip those classes. It is a very disrespectful act to do that to such a beautiful thing. I mean, think of all the possibilities you can do with this bomb." He said with glittering eyes. Hayate face-palmed.

"Well…I guess we wouldn't lose anything if we try this." Hayate started to rearrange the wires, trying to disarm the bomb. Hinagiku however, wasn't going to put her life at risk like this.

"Stop it, Hayate-kun! You'll kill us all if you…" The wires sparked for a moment before the timer was stopped.

"I suppose we can go home now."

"I'll be taking that." Kyousuke reached for the device, but Hayate pulled his hand back.

"Oh no you don't. This thing is way too dangerous in the hands of someone as immature as you." Both of them then started quarrelling. Hinagiku however, began to understand the situation.

"WAIT A MINUTE, WAIT A MINUTE! I demand that both of you to explain all of this!" Hinagiku scowled. "You, Hayate! Everything that you told me before, was it true? About him being an international criminal?"

"Of course it was. I don't tell lies, you know."

"And you, Kyousuke, is that bomb really yours!"

"You bet it was."

Hinagiku bombarded them with more questions but the two boys looked at each other and nodded simultaneously, achieving a silent agreement. Both Kyousuke and Hayate pulled out a pair of dark glasses from their jacket before Hayate took out a small metallic rod from his blazer.

"Hinagiku-san, would you please take look at this thing here…" Hayate asked, "…If you do, all of your questions will be answered in a flash."

"What's this?"

"This is a device called the Neuraliser. It will flash a series of impulses that will cause your brain, particularly the part where your memories are stored to be temporarily disabled."

"What does that me..." Before she could even say anything else, a bright, red flash blinded her eyes before everything turned black.

* * *

Author's note : The name Kyousuke Mizuhashi is the translation of my best friend's name into Japanese. The characteristics of Kyousuke is pretty much the same as my friend. Both of them really liked to use harsh words to others and have pretty much, almost no respect to me or in this case, Hayate. But still, he's one of the most important characters in the story as he holds the key to Hayate's past. On that note, I thank you for reading my fanfic and I hoped that you'll enjoy it.


	6. Chapter 6: Sorry, it's too long

Chapter 6_: The Sanzenins, Katsuras and...viper? _

Hey guys, this is the name of this chapter. I guess it's too long that I cant fit it at the upper right hand corner, ROTFL. Anyway, enjoy..._  
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* * *

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_ "Hinagiku-san is acting strangely these days. Every time I tried to ask her anything, she would ignore me. I wonder if I had forgotten her birthday or something…"_ Hayate said to himself as he walked towards the main gate of Hakuo Academy.

It has been several days since Hinagiku and her mother had moved to Hayate's mansion. Her mother enjoyed her stay there since it was a once in a lifetime chance to stay at a splendid mansion like his without having to spend any money at all. Hinagiku on the other hand, kept avoiding him and it gave the boy the feeling that he had done something wrong to her. It confuses him very much since as far as he could remember, he had never done anything that would upset her.

"Psst… Hayate-kun…" A faint voice called his name. Hayate turned to his left and found Hinagiku partly hidden by the trees, waving at him.

"Hinagiku-san, what…"

"I have a lot of work that needs to be done, so I'll be back later. And starting today, I'll be walking back to the mansion. You don't have to fetch me anymore." Hinagiku said quickly, cutting him short.

"Eh! Are you sure? But my house is very far from here. There's no way you could reach..." Before he could finish his sentence, Hinagiku had left him and ran straight to the clock tower.

* * *

"What's the matter, master? You looked very troubled. Is there something that is worrying you?" The butler asked when he entered the car.

"Hinagiku-san keeps avoiding me these days. I can't figure out why she's acting like this. I don't think that I've done something that would make her angry..."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, she also said that she'll be walking home starting today. I wonder what her problem is?"

"(Sigh) you really are tactless, aren't you, master?"

"And why is that?" Hayate asked crossly.

"Well… she is a teenager and you are a boy around her age. So it isn't very surprising that she's acting like that."

"That has nothing to do with the fact that she is avoiding me. Girls are just too confusing…"

"…and you're just too simple-minded to understand her." The butler finished his master's sentence.

"Maybe I am…HEY! What's that supposed to mean?"

"…Nothing." The butler said with a straight face.

"Ah! I'm tired of arguing with you. Take me to the Sanzenin Residence now."

"Very well, master. Oh, I heard that the Sanzenins got themselves a new butler. Who is he?"

"Alex."

"Alex who?"

"Mikhailov."

"Alexander Mikhailov? Really? That's interesting. I wonder what he's up to now...

* * *

A few minutes later, both of them arrived at Nagi's mansion. Once the two got out from the car, their attention was quickly caught by the scenic garden. Hayate was amused, looking at the garden planted with many types of flower.

"Hmm…we should plant some of these flowers at our garden, butler. I'm sure it's going to look very nice."

"Indeed. Ah, I really liked this carnation…" The butler knelt down to have a better look at the flower. "MASTER! Behind you!"

Hayate turned back and found a large, white tiger, with its claws raised above its head, ready to attack Hayate. He knew that if the claws hit him, he'd be as good as dead. Fortunately for him, his body reacted naturally and jumped backwards, evading the tiger's attack just in time.

"Why's there a tiger in the middle of the city!" Before anyone could answer that question, the tiger leaped towards him but this time, Hayate had prepared himself to face the tiger. He planned to grab the tiger and throw it down, a move he learned in judo but suddenly, a loud gunshot could be heard and the tiger fell down. It was totally unexpected and Hayate was pinned down by the tiger.

"Help! The tiger's crushing me!" The butler quickly went to his master and pulled him from the tiger.

"Are you alright, master?" Asked the butler in concern. Before Hayate could even answer him, another voice could be heard.

"Tch, friggin' tiger. Always causing me trouble. He should be grateful that I'm not allowed to kill him." Both Hayate and the butler turned and saw Kyousuke, blowing some smoke away from the barrel of a rifle.

"What happened? I thought I heard a gun being fired…" A young lady in maid uniform suddenly appeared. When she saw Kyousuke with rifle on his hand and the sight of the tiger lying motionlessly on the ground, she came up with a spontaneous conclusion

"KYOUSUKE-KUN!, Why did you killed Tama! He's the mistress's pet! N-Nagi's going to…"

"Could you please shut the hell up? I didn't kill that goddamn tiger of yours if that's what you're thinking. I've only put it to sleep with some tranquiliser. Relax, he's gonna be fine. Oh look at the time; I have to be somewhere else. See you later at dinner, Maria." He said before jumping onto the trees and dashed away.

"Geez, how rude." The lady in maid uniform, approached the tiger and placed her fingers at the tiger's neck, looking for any sign of vitals. She let out a sigh before standing up and bowing down to Hayate and his butler.

"I'm sorry if these two have caused you any trouble…I'll give them a stern lecturing later. Are you alright?"

"No, no. Don't worry about that. Anyway, I'm Hayate Ayasaki, Nagi's classmate at Hakuo. Pleased to meet you."

"My name is Maria. I'm the mistress's chambermaid. Are you here to visit her?"

"Yes, I am. Is Nagi-san home?"

"She's at the lounge with Issumi-san and Sakuya-san. Here, let me show you the way."

They were then brought to a room. There, Nagi was sitting at a chair while chatting with two other girls. One of them had grey hairs while the other one who looked a little shy, wore a kimono.

"Nagi-chan, who's that?" Asked the grey-haired girl. A slight Kansai dialect could be heard in her speech.

"He's my classmate." Nagi answered simply.

"This poor, seedy-looking guy is your classmate? Hakuo sure has lost its prestige, hasn't it?"

Hayate ignored the girl's harsh words and tried to introduce himself, but the girl interrupted him.

"YOU!" She suddenly pointed to the butler. "Tell me a joke. Make sure it's funny or I'll punish you."

"Eh?" The butler turned to his master, asking for what to do. But Hayate just shrugged.

"Alright then." The butler said before he proceeded to the girl and lowered his head, closing it onto her ear and covered their conversation with his right hand. After he had finished telling her the joke, he returned to the place he was. Sakuya looked at him blankly for a moment before suddenly… she burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that she rolled on the floor. It took her a while to control herself.

"Wow, you're really good. I've never heard anything funnier than that." She laughed again. "Alright then. Your turn." She looked at Hayate.

"B-but, I don't know any jokes…"

"Then I'd have to teach you about it." Sakuya said with a strange sparkle in her eyes.

"Are you sure Sakuya? Your jokes are a little…dangerous." The girl in kimono finally spoke.

"Just let them be, Issumi. I've made a new a new manga that I want to show to you. Let's go." Said Nagi before she pulled Issumi's hand and got out of the room.

_"What does she mean by dangerous?" _Both the butler and his master thought.

"Alright then, I want you to jump out from that window."

"ARE YOU CRAZY! We're on the third floor! I might break my bones… or worse!"

"That's the point. People love to watch others in pain. Haven't you realised that? Shows like The Three St**ges, Ra*ma ½ and many other shows have scenes in them where the characters will encounter many types misfortune. It never failed to make the viewers laugh!"

"No way. I'm not going to risk my life just for your amusement!"

* * *

"I can't believe I'm going to do it…" Regretted Hayate. He is now on the roof of the Sanzenin Mansion, looking down at the others who are waiting for him.

"Hey! What are you waiting for? Is it so hard for you to jump? Or do you need me to give you a push?" Shouted Sakuya.

"Master! Do your best!" Cheered the butler.

"_I wasn't expecting you to support me this way!" _

"Can't I at least have a mattress or something below? You know, to soften my landing?" Asked Hayate but Sakuya ignored him.

"Don't you think that you're going too far this time, Sakuya-san? I mean, he could seriously get hurt." Issumi looked at Hayate, worried.

"Nonsense! There's no way he'll die just like this…I think." After a while, Hayate finally made up his mind.

"(Sigh) Alright…I'll jump now." He took one last breath before he jumped down. Both Nagi and Issumi closed their eyes, but Sakuya was surprised that he would do such reckless thing.

Miraculously, when both Nagi and Issumi opened their eyes again, Hayate had landed on the ground safely, as if nothing ever happened to him. However, that failed to impress Sakuya at all.

"Hey! You should fall down and hit a tree or something, not land right there and stand like an idiot!"

"At least I'm safe and wasn't hurt at all! What more do you want from me!" Asked Hayate angrily.

"Oh... I'll tell you what I want. Makita! Kuneida! Finish the job!" Upon hearing their master's call, the two butler of Sakuya suddenly appeared on the third floor window behind Hayate carrying a large flowerpot. They then released the pot, and Hayate, being totally unprepared was hit by the heavy object. Consequently, he fell down with blood gushing from his head.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Now that's what I'd call funny!" Sakuya rolled on the ground for the second time of the day, unable to control herself. The others just shook their heads.

* * *

_"Now how am I going to go back to his house…I don't even know what the address of his house is!" _Said Hinagiku to herself, regretting the decision she made hastily before.

_"Eh? Isn't that Hayate-kun?" _Said Hinagiku to herself when she turned to a corner. There, she saw Hayate walking out of a clinic accompanied by his butler.

"Ah, Hinagiku-san!"

"What's with your head, Hayate-kun?" Asked Hinagiku when she saw his bandaged head.

"Oh, this is umm…a-anyway, where are you going, Hinagiku-san?" Hayate changed the topic. It would be too embarrassing for him to tell something like that to her.

"I'm going back…"

"In that case, why don't you come with us?"

"There's no need for that… I don't want to trouble you…" Hinagiku looked around, fearing that someone is watching them.

"Of course it wouldn't be of any bother to me, Hinagiku-san. Now, let's go!" Said Hayate before he pulled Hinagiku into the limousine. She had no other choice but to follow him.

When they got into the car, a very awkward moment could be felt. Neither of them spoke anything. The atmosphere was too tense for her and made her felt very uncomfortable. Hinagiku suddenly felt her heart racing upon realising that both of them are alone at the back of the limousine. She stole a few look at the boy, wondering whether he felt the same as she is. The boy however, took a book and began reading with an expressionless look on his face.

"Hinagiku-san, may I ask you something?" Hayate suddenly asked before lowering the book.

"Y-yes?" Hinagiku answered nervously.

"When's your birthday?"

"Eh? Why would you want to know that?"

"Nothing." Hayate answered quickly. "Just curious."

"Well…it's the third of March..."

"Oh really…I guess that's a few days from today. Okay then." Hayate nodded before raising the book up again, covering his face and continued reading. Neither of them then spoke until they reached the mansion. The car stopped at the guest wing to let Hinagiku down before it continued to the main mansion with Hayate.

Once Hinagiku got back at the mansion, she looked around for her mother. But no matter how many times she looked around the house, she still couldn't find her. Finally, after searching for her mother for a while, the butler approached her.

"Excuse me, Hinagiku-san; is there something that is troubling you?"

"Oh, it's you, butler…I'm looking for my mother. I haven't seen her since I was back from the school. Do you know where she is?"

"Mokoto-san? Didn't the master tell you?"

"Tell me about what?"

"I guess he must've forgotten about that. Your mother had departed for London. Your father phoned her around 3 o'clock today and told her to go to there. Ah, speaking about your mother, she's on the phone right now. She wants to talk to you." The butler gave Hinagiku the phone before he bowed down and left her.

"Hello?"

_"Hina-chan, how's it going over there?"_

"Mom? Where are you?"

_"I'm in the plane right now. We've just departed a few minutes ago. I think we'll be there in a few hours. "_

"Why didn't you take me with you?"

_"Your father and I decided that you should finish your studies in Japan."_

"But then, where will I stay?"

"_I don't think that that's going to be a problem. Hayate-kun had generously offered you to stay at his house. He even agreed to pay for your studies. Not that we're poor or something…but I'm sure that you will understand."_

"How could you make decision like this without asking me first?"

_"Oh Hina-chan..."_

"And what about him?" Hinagiku paused, hoping that her mother would understand.

_"Hayate-kun?"_ Her mother asked confusedly. _"Oh~ you like him, don't you?_" She said with a chuckle.

"O-of course not! It's just that…" She blushed.

_"Don't worry; I'm very sure that he won't do anything. He's too nice to do such a thing. But if he does, I'm sure that you can beat him up, right? Besides, it's not like the two of you are staying under the same roof. He's at the main mansion while you're at the guest wing…oh, I'll have to hang up now. I'll call you later."_

"Mother! Wait!" Hinagiku yelled, but her mother had already hung up the phone.

"Geez, she's always like that." She said with a sigh.

"_How could she just leave me in the hands of someone she barely knows?" _

_

* * *

_

Meanwhile, Hayate entered a hall and sat on his chair. He pressed a button on his laptop and a middle-aged man in a formal jacket was displayed on the screen in front of him.

"Ah, Mr. Ayasaki. I've been waiting to speak to you for ages you know." The man spoke in English with a slight American accent.

"I'm very sorry for that, Mr. Johnston. I've been very busy these days."

"Oh, I forgot! You've moved to Japan recently, haven't you? So, how's the school there?"

"It's fun, I guess. What is it that is so important that the President of the World Bank himself would have to call me for?"

"Straight to the point, just like you always do," He laughed. "I 'm sure that you must've noticed that the world economy is now at its peak since the last 50 years. Even third world countries now have their own billionaires. The global inflation and unemployment index is going down…"

"Uh-huh…and what does that have to do with me?" Hayate cut him short.

"Well… I think that that is very odd. Have you read the latest issue of The Wall Street Journal?"

"I haven't got the chance to do so."

"In that case, I'm sure that you weren't aware that the NYSE index indicator went up by 150 points in just an overnight."

"Hmm…that's odd. Are you sure it's not misinformation? Have you done the adjustments?"

"We did, but the results didn't change."

"Do you have any idea how that would've happened?"

"I can only guess…This might not have anything to do with the increase, but before the sudden raise, a group of investors had taken over a pharmaceutical company that was nearing bankruptcy before they merged it with several other companies, forming a group."

"Isn't that a normal occurrence?"

"It is, but ever since the merging, they have been buying stocks at a huge amount, taking over other companies and groups. It's just like they're trying to monopolise the entire stock market."

"Can't you enforce the antitrust law or the Clayton Act on them?"

"No. They've been lobbying so many politicians, that we can't even lay a single finger on them."

"I see…So then, who's the chairman of the group?"

"Umm…let me see…" The man said before he took several documents and inspected it. "Ah! Here it is. The chairman of the group is…Professor William Hellmann."

"What!" Hayate suddenly exclaimed. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am."

"…I need you to do something for me. Can you find by any way, any way at all to freeze the group's assets…"

"No! Do you know that they are currently in control of 17% of the entire world's economy? Are you trying to make me lose my job by halting the world's economy and cause another economic meltdown like the one you've caused before? I've done a lot of favour to help you, but this request is too outrageous!"

"Please, you've got to believe me or there's going to be another Black Wednesday, just like the one that happened on the 16th of September 1992. Or worse, the Panic of 1907."

"(Smirk) How ironic is that? Hearing that from a person who is controlling 30% of the world economy... They might as well replace your place as the power of the world." Said the man before he switched his camera off, ending their conversation. Hayate stared blankly at the screen for a while, thinking. He then stood up and looked out the window, immersed in his thoughts.

"_Becoming the new power of the world eh? I'd like to see you surpass me that easily…Viper." _

_

* * *

_YAY! I've finally finished this chapter. I hoped that you'd like it. I've added more questions about Hayate's past. It's anyone's guess what had happened to him though. The answer shall remain with me until the right time comes. Oh, and those of you who manages to find all the parodies and references in this chapter will get a cookie from me ^_^

Anyway, the next chapter is for all of you Haya x Hina fans. But for the time being... DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!


	7. Chapter 7: The present and past

Starting from this chapter, I'll start to reply each and every one of your comments. I know it's a little late (okay, very late) to do that, but hey, better late than never, right? Consider this as my way of thanking you guys who supported my story by reviewing.

**_~~Reviwers Corner~_**~

**Rialga: **Yup. He's rich beyond your wildest dream and he'll become even richer as the story progresses. And just like what Nagi said in episode 11, S1; 'If he really don't like you, he could wipe your very existence from this world'.

**animelover: **I'm very happy to tell you that this is the very chapter you've been waiting for. Hope that you'll like it.

**Chino23: **I know the plot's getting weirder... and I'm just getting started. XD

**Strawberry-fluff: **Thanks, I really appreciate it.

* * *

Chapter 7_: The present and past_

"Hinagiku-san! You're up early."

"Eh? Hayate-kun? What are you doing here?" Hinagiku said in surprise, as she wasn't expecting Hayate to be there.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm just here to get something..." He stood up and covered his yawn before exiting the room through another door. She stared at the door in disbelief. No matter how early she got up, Hayate always beats her to the dining room. Hayate's present at the room forced Hinagiku to abandon her idea of having her breakfast there. Instead, she looked for the butler. But as always, he appeared behind Hinagiku unnoticeably and greeted her.

"Good morning Hinagiku-san."

"WHOA! You scared me, butler. Umm…I just saw Hayate-kun at the dining room just now…"

"Hmm…" That was all that came out from the butler upon hearing what she said. He held his chin, as if thinking about something. After waiting for the butler to say something for a while in vain, Hinagiku finally broke the silence.

"Umm…could you send me to school now?"

"Hinagiku-san, you do realise that the time is 5.45 a.m. right now, don't you? Why would you want to go to school at times like this?"

"It's because…umm…ah, never mind. Can you send me now or not?"

"Of course, Hinagiku-san. But have you taken your breakfast?" Said the butler in concern.

"I'll grab something at the cafeteria later. Now let's go, go, GO!"

* * *

The time was 6.30 a.m. when she reached the school compound. This is why she wanted to go to school earlier than she usually does. If she could go to school as early as this for the rest of the year, nobody would've suspected that she is staying at Hayate's place. But soon, her presumption was proved to be wrong.

"Hina-chan, why are you here this early?" Asked a voice from behind her.

"Yeah…and isn't that Hayata-kun's car?" Added another voice.

When she turned around, she saw the last persons on earth that she would want to see right now. The Student Council Trio; Miki, Izumi and Risa.

"Err…hi guys…nice weather we're having today…"

"Oh come on, are you trying to change the topic?"

"N-no…of course not." She replied with a sweatdrop _"Oh god! What am I going to do! How am I going to get away from them?" _Hinagiku contemplated nervously_._

"Good morning, President." A voice greeted her from behind.

"Huh? Oh, it's you, Chiharu-san."

"Miki, Risa, Izumi; I still haven't received last week's report. When are you going to hand it to me? I thought that the three of you promised to give me the reports last Monday, but I haven't seen them on my desk till this day."

"Uh-oh..."

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten all about it?" The girl asked menacingly.

"Err…we have to go now. Yukiji-sensei is waiting for us. Bye!" The three of them quickly ran away.

"(Sigh) I wonder who made them the Student Council members…"

"Thank you very much Chiharu-san! You've just saved me!" Hinagiku cried happily and hugged the girl.

"Is there something that I need to know, President?"

"N-no, of course not." Hinagiku released Chiharu and turned into her usual, serious mode. "Regarding the reports, have you taken care of it?"

"Of course, President. It is my job as your secretary to help you with your duties. I knew that they wouldn't finish those reports in time, so I've prepared them in advance."

"That's very good, Chiharu-san. Thank you very much for your hard work."

* * *

It was 3 o'clock in the afternoon and Hinagiku was feeling very tired, and no wonder, it was a very hectic day for her. It was Sports Day and Hinagiku was the busiest person at school since she's the one who's in charge of the festival. And on top of that, she also took part in every events held. Being one of the most athletic students, Hinagiku easily surpassed the other competitors and won herself the first place in every event, thus enabling her to be awarded as the Most Valued Player (MVP).

Right after the events, she went straight to the Kendo Club building and trained with the members of the club. She had them to fight her in a one-on-one duel so that she could measure their skills. But of course, that was like a death sentence to them. Everyone in school knew that the President of the Student Council always takes everything seriously. There's absolutely no way she is going to go easy on them, even though they're not as skilled as she is. By the end of the training session, most of them were bruised from her beatings.

"Katsura-san…could you please go easy with us? We're not as skilled as you are…" One of the members pleaded.

"What are you talking about? Are you backing down just after a few measly blows? For god's sake, stand up and fight like a man!" Said Hinagiku, trying to push the boy a little further. With a sigh, the boy stood up.

He gripped on his shinai and made his move. He sidestepped Hinagiku before dashing towards her and lifted his weapon up, ready to deliver the blow. Hinagiku, however, was far more ready than the boy. She had spotted a weakness in his defense proceeded with a counterattack.

"MEN!" She shouted and hit the boy square on his head. The boy instantly lost his consciousness and fell on his back with his eyes spiralling. Hinagiku sighed, thinking that there's no one in the club who could give her a real challenge, not just some careless and unstrategised attacks. Disappointed, Hinagiku told the members that the practice was over for the day. All of them let out a sigh of relief before exiting the club. Hinagiku then changed into her school uniform before heading towards the class where she was supposed to have meeting with the members of the student council. On her way there, Hinagiku dreamed of having a nice, long hot bath when she got home.

"SURPRISE!" A group of people shouted in chorus as she entered the room. She was taken aback for a while, before she let out a smile.

"Happy birthday, Hinagiku-san!" The members of the Student council cheered.

Hinagiku looked around the room and found out that the room has been wonderfully decorated with balloons and other stuffs that you would usually found at a party. It was obvious that they had put in a lot of efforts to prepare a surprise birthday party for her. It touched her heart; thinking how thoughtful of them to remember that the 3rd of March was her birthday and they were there to celebrate it with her.

They then pulled her to the middle of the room, where a huge cake has been placed. After singing the 'Happy Birthday' song, she blew the candles and sliced the cake before sharing it with her friends. They took the cakes and ate it happily. Although they could be a real pain to handle with sometimes, they're still her friends and that made Hinagiku felt really happy to have such great friends.

"So, President, what did you wished for when you blew the candles?" Asked Chiharu.

"Eh?"

"Chiharu-san, don't you know what she'd wish for?" Risa suddenly appeared behind Hinagiku.

"Yeah, I'm sure Hinagiku must've wished for Hayata-kun to be here. After all, he is your boyfriend, right, Hinagiku-san?" Miki said teasingly.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Hinagiku said defensively.

"Then why is it that both you and Hayata-kun has been spending time together a lot lately?"

"That's because we're practising Kendo together since he is a member of the club and I'm the captain…"

"And why did he pull you into his car a few days ago?"

"About that…" Her cheeks started to turn scarlet. _"How did they know about that!"_

"Oh look at her…she's blushing~"

"N-no I wasn't!"

"Are you really sure that you don't like him?" Risa said in return, cornering Hinagiku, preparing to finish the girl off with her own words.

"N-n-no! Of course not! Look, guys, I'm really tired, so I'm going home now. Bye!" Hinagiku quickly pushed them aside and left the class.

"Tell Hayata-kun we said hello!" The trio shouted before they laughed.

* * *

"_Why does everybody kept saying that I like Hayate-kun? Sure, he's rich and very nice to others, not to mention very cute too…"_

"_Snap out of it!" _Another voice in her head echoed. _"You still have to finish your studies and get a stable job before you could think about this kind of things. It is not the time yet to get into relationships!"_

"_But what's the point of being successful in life if you're not happy?" _

Hinagiku sat down on her comfy chair at her office before she looked at the documents piled on her desk. It made her even more frustrated. She really thought she had taken care of these documents before, but it seems like someone else who was being too lazy to complete their work on time decided to put their burden onto her shoulders. Being someone who has a high level of pride, Hinagiku refuses to ask others for help, even if she really needs it. Instead, she decided to do it herself. She wanted to show to the others that as a leader, she's capable of doing any task, no matter how hard it is.

"_That's right; I'm the President of the Student Council. I shouldn't have time to worry about such trivial things. As a leader, I must put others before me." _Hinagiku made a firm resolve. She picked up her ballpoint, ready to get over with those documents before a sudden drowsiness hit her. Ignoring the pain, Hinagiku tried to focus her mind to her work. The pain however, became more and more intense. Finally, Hinagiku decided to take a rest, at least until the drowsiness was gone. She laid her head on the desk and stared at the calendar in front of her. It had a mark on the 3rd day of the month.

"_You should at least wish me a 'Happy Birthday' Hayate-kun. All of my friends wished me that but you…" _It wasn't long before she was conquered by the drowsiness and her vision started to blur.

* * *

"_Ugh…what happened to me?" _

Hinagiku rubbed her eyes and looked around the room. It was dark, hinting Hinagiku that it's already night. She looked up at the clock on wall. The time displayed was 11.05 p.m. Hinagiku figured that she must've been working too hard and her body couldn't cope with it, so she fell asleep at her desk.

"_Wait a minute! If I'm not mistaken, I was sitting at my place, doing my work before everything went black. How in the world did I get here?"_

Hinagiku looked back at her desk. She must have walked at least 15 feet to reach where she is right now. She never remembered about walking over to the sofa. Besides, if she had been sleepwalking, how could she have avoided those tables and chairs? On top of that, when she got up, she was covered by a blanket. Hinagiku felt more and more baffled when she thought about that. But before she could think of another theory, the sound of vibrating music notes knocked her senses away.

She could vaguely hear the song as it was played very slowly. The piece was played in a very low tune, almost melancholic. And yet, it managed to intrigue her. Listening closely to the song, she concluded that the music was played using a violin that originated form the balcony. She crept as silently as possible to the source of the sound and found a lone figure, shone by the full moon standing at the balcony, moving the bow freely and gently. He was in a long, black tailcoat. At first, Hinagiku almost couldn't recognise the boy, until she saw his light-blue hair being drifted by the gentle wind, his bang floating in mid-air.

"_Hayate-kun?"_

The boy was playing violin with his eyes closed, making him totally oblivious of his surrounding. It was a very beautiful piece and it made Hinagiku enthralled by each note he voiced with the perfect tuning. Everything was just in the right place flawlessly. No redundant movements, no ostentatious bowing.

The boy finally ended the tune with a perdendosi, gradually reducing the intensity with a fluent diminuendo before lowering his violin. She looked at the boy for a moment, thinking of what to say, before she realised that the boy was crying. Tears began to fall from his cheeks. It felt like an eternity for her to be there, looking at the boy, unable to do anything for him. He was whispered something slowly. It made Hinagiku curious of what the boy was saying, but his voice was so low that she could barely hear it. The boy wiped his tears and turned around before gasping in surprise.

"H-HINAGIKU-SAN!" The boy cried in surprise. Hinagiku, surprised by the boy's sudden reaction, shrieked in return.

"Don't shout in front of me like that!" Said Hinagiku while clutching her chest. "You almost got me a heart attack." The two looked at each other for a moment before both of them laughed.

"That was a very beautiful music, Hayate-kun. I never knew that you could play violin."

"Thanks." Said Hayate before putting down the violin. "What happened to you? When I got here, you were on your desk with your face…" Hayate asked in concern before suddenly, a churning sound could be heard. Hinagiku quickly clutched her stomach in reaction and her cheeks turned red.

"I-i-it's not what you think!"

"Oh really…?" Said the boy sceptically. "The butler did tell me that you skipped your breakfast. Are you doing this so that you can avoid me by going to school earlier?"

"…" Hinagiku looked down in embarrassment.

"And let me guess…since today's the Sports Day, you haven't got enough time to take your lunch, so you decided to eat some energy bars instead…am I right?" And once again, the churining sound was heard, this time louder than before. Her face reddened even more.

"An army marches on its stomach. You shouldn't expect your body to function perfectly if you don't get enough food, Hinagiku-san. (Sigh) alright then, how about you take a seat over there and I'll see what I can find for you."

Hinagiku complied with Hayate's suggestion and watched Hayate while he searched the cabinets for anything that could be eaten. Several minutes later, Hayate returned to her with a glass of milk, a plate of cookies and some toasts. Hinagiku suddenly felt very hungry since she hasn't had anything except for the slice of cake she took a few hours before. She quickly took those toasts and ate them greedily before guzzling down the milk in one gulp. Hayate just smiled while looking at her. Somehow, it made Hayate thought about a little kitten when he saw her.

"Hey, what are you smiling at?"

"Eh? Uh...n-nothing." Hayate answered quickly before turning away. Hinagiku looked at Hayate suspiciously before she bit a cookie while still keeping her eyes on Hayate.

"What's the name of the music you've played before? I've never heard anything as beautiful as that…"

"It was called 'verum caeli, caerula caeli'."

"That's Latin for 'True Sky, Blue Sky', am I right?" Hayate nodded to her question.

"It's a song, composed by a friend of mine. It depicts the beauty of the world, when the night falls."

"Is he someone from your old school?" Hayate shook his head.

"Let's just say she's a very good friend of mine."

"She? A girl?"

"Yes…but she passed away a few years ago…" Hayate lowered his head sadly.

"O-oh…I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I've decided to forget my past and carried on. Oh, I just remembered something. Hinagiku-san, has your mother called you from London? I'm sure that she's worried about you." Hayate quickly changed the topic of the conversation. It was obvious that he refused to discuss further about the girl.

"She called me several times a day. She's always asking whether I'm sick or not, have I completed my homework, you know…stuffs like that. Geez, how old does she think I am? A 6 years old kid?"

"Ha ha ha…at least she cares about you. You're very lucky to have a caring mother you know. Not many people are born into a family full of love like yours."

"Yeah…I guess so…" Hinagiku looked down and her face started to darken.

"What's wrong, Hinagiku-san?"

"…" The girl was silent

"Hinagiku-san?"

"…" Hayate felt a little worried, thinking whether he had said something wrong. After moments of silence, the girl finally spoke.

"The truth is…Mokoto-sama…isn't my true mother…"

"Eh?"

"On my birthday, 10 years ago…my parents…my real parents…they abandoned me and my sister with a debt of 96 million yen. Yukiji onee-san however, managed to pay back the debt. She met Mokoto-sama's husband and asked him to adopt us into his family. Her husband was actually my sister's schoolteacher and he had always liked her. He and her wife agreed to adopt us into their family since they doesn't have any child. On that day, they welcomed us into their family and given us Katsura as our last name…" Hinagiku finished her words, trying to hold her tears back. It really pains her to relive those memories.

"_Get a grip on yourself, Hinagiku! You wouldn't want Hayate to acknowledge you as a weak and frail girl, would you?"_ The boy however, understood her feeling and embraced her. Hinagiku was surprised by his sudden action, but somehow, Hayate managed to comfort her just by doing that.

"There's no need for you to hide your feelings like that that, Hinagiku-san. You can cry on my shoulder whenever you want. I'll always be there for you." Hinagiku suddenly lose control and started crying. It made him see behind the tough and prideful personality Hinagiku had, she still have a soft side. Hayate stroke her hairs gently while letting her to express her feelings. It's just human nature for someone to cry when they're sad, something that nobody can deny. He then brought her to the sofa. When her sobbing finally stopped, he wiped her tears and gave her a soothing smile.

"So then, are you feeling better, Hinagiku-san?" The girl nodded.

"You know, I've always envied you. Not many people were born into rich families like you do, Hayate-kun. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, always being able to get whatever you…"

"You're wrong." Hayate suddenly said.

"Eh?"

"I wasn't born rich."

"What do you mean, Hayate-kun?"

"What did I told you, Hinagiku-san? It's a thing of the past. You shouldn't remember it anymore."

"Hey, that's not fair! I've told you about my family, now it's…" She paused when she saw his smile.

"It's good that you've got your spirit back, Hinagiku-san. Alright then, I'll tell you my story." Hayate clears his throat before he stood up.

"My family was actually very poor. We lived in a small 2 LDK house. Both my parents were unemployed. They always spend every penny they got by gambling, or as they would call, 'investments', and told me that if they win, we'll all go to some tropical island for holiday. I was a fool at that time for believing them. I dropped out from school and started to do odd jobs to earn money for my family when I was 5 years old."

"R-really?" Hinagiku found that hard to believe, especially when he told that with a straight face.

"I've always put up with their laziness, working around the clock to make a living, only to find out at the end of the month, they have spent every last cent of _my_ hard earned money into some jackpots or horse racing bets. All the hard works, going straight into drain when all of their 'investments' failed…But I could still put up with that. I could still put up being cheated by them again and again. I could still put up with them when they ignored me when I was sick and had to work for my medicine. But one day, they did the most unforgivable thing…" Hinagiku realised that his hands were clutched so hard that it started to tremble.

"I lost someone whom I've loved the most because of them. Because of them, I never got the chance to meet her anymore. And yet, they acted as if nothing ever happened and left me alone. All the pain, suffering and despair… I've got nobody who would be there for me…to comfort me. Since that day, both my parents…I consider them to be dead in my heart. I'll never, ever forgive them. Not even if they fall on their knees and begged for my forgiveness." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before his lips formed a smile. "Anyway Hinagiku-san, all of that doesn't matter anymore. I'd prefer to move on and forget all about my past."

And at that moment, Hinagiku began to realise something. It's obvious to her that Hayate definitely had suffered a lot more than she did. Her sister and foster parents were always there to support her whenever she needs it. But Hayate, left all alone by his own parents, with nobody he can turn to, managed to live his life and still be happy. It made her wonder how someone who had gone through something like that could even smile again. She was ashamed of herself.

"Err…Hinagiku-san? Are you okay? You were spacing out just now."

"Eh? Umm…I'm okay. Don't worry about…" Hinagiku suddenly sneezed.

"Are you cold, Hinagiku-san?"

"N-no! Of course not! It's just that, some dust got into my nose…" But both of them knew that was a lie. The room was so clean that not a single speck of dust could be seen.

"Then why are you blushing?"

"Eh? Umm…I uh…" Hinagiku flustered.

"Just as I thought. Here," Hayate took of his coat before putting it on Hinagiku, "take my coat. It'll make you feel warmer." Her cheeks began to warm up so much, that at this rate, she wouldn't need the coat anymore. Hayate turned to the elevator and pressed a button to go down.

"Umm…Hinagiku-san, do you know what is the time right now?"

"It's…almost 12 o'clock…"

"Well, I guess I still have some time to say this to you then." Hayate turned to Hinagiku and pulled out a small box.

"Happy birthday, Hinagiku-san!"

"Eh? Y-you remembered about my birthday?"

"Of course! After all, you're very important to me."

"_Eh? Is he telling me that he's actually…" _She suddenly felt her heart racing.

"Yup. You're a very important friend to me. There's no way I could forget your birthday." She suddenly felt very disappointed as she was expecting Hayate to say something else.

"What's in this box?"

"If you want to know, you'll have to open it to find out."

Hinagiku took a look at that box. It was a small-sized box, wrapped neatly and was tied with a ribbon. She looked at the box cautiously, as if expecting for something to jump out of it the moment she opens the box. But then, she saw Hayate's face with a 'go on, open it!' expression. Hinagiku closed her eyes and opened the box quickly. She waited for a few seconds but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised by what she saw.

"Eh? Isn't this the 'Eterna Timekeeper', a limited edition of the 'Aeternitas Mega series made by Franck Mueller? It's capable of displaying time and calendar for at least 1000 years without any corrections. It's also fitted with the world's smallest tourbillon, measuring 0.08mm in diameter, putting it in the super complicated watches class…"

"Wow, I'm impressed, Hinagiku-san. You know quite a lot about watches."

"Of course I'd recognise this watch! This is one of the world's most expensive and complex watches! How did you get this thing? I thought that they don't sell this watch."

"Of course they don't. There's only two of this watch in the world. One of them is with the creator and the other, is in your hands right now. Since Franck Mueller happens to be one of my contacts, he had generously agreed to craft me this watch." Hinagiku looked at him in disbelief.

"So then, do you like my gift?"

"Umm…I liked it. Thank you very much, Hayate-kun."

"(Smiling) I'm glad, Hinagiku-san. I wondered what I should get for you for your birthday. I finally decided to give you something that you could keep close to you. I hoped that you'll treasure my little gift here, Hinagiku-san." Hinagiku blushed even more when she heard Hayate saying that. Unfortunately for her, Hayate realised that.

"You know…you looked really cute when you're blushing like that, Hinagiku-san." Hayate said teasingly.

"S-shut up!" Her face reddened even more

"Hahaha…I'm just kidding Hinagiku-san. Alright then. Let's go home. It's getting really cold in here." Both of them entered the elevator and went down. Hinagiku took the chance and glanced at Hayate.

"_Maybe I really am in love with him…"_

_

* * *

_

Please tell what do you think about this chapter. Yes, I know that this chapter sucked (gomennasai~)and I admit the fact that I'm not a good writer when it comes to fluffy stuffs like this. I'll gladly accept any comments (or flames) from you guys and I really hoped that you could tell me how to make this story better. So please bear with this crappy chapter, at least until the next chapter comes out.

Au Revoir.


	8. Chapter 8: Vacation!

**_~~Reviewers' Corner~_**~

**Rialga: **Yes, I tried to show to my readers how much Hayate had suffered in his past. Most people, if they had the chance to be in his shoes, would simply back down or lose all hope in their life. But Hayate refuses to do so. He decided to live his life and enjoy it even though his past was scarred by people around him**.**

**Chino23: **I guess I failed at describing Hinagiku's birthday present, didn't I? But still, if you want to know what I was trying to explain, you can look up the Aeternitas Mega series made by Franck Mueller. He's real, for your information, not a fiction character of mine. As for the reference, I'm glad that someone realised it. I'll try my best to put in more references in my story, just to make it more interesting.  
P.S. If you read that chapter closely, you'll see that there's actually two girls that Hayate was talking about**. **Both of them had a significant role to play in this story, but I'm not going to reveal it just yet ;)

**animelover: **:) Thanks for the support. Look forward for my future chapters!

Sorry for the late update. I'm a little busy these days. Without further ado, I present to you, Hayate The Combat Butler, Remake!

* * *

Chapter 8_: Vacation!_

Hinagiku Katsura looked around the courtyard. It truly was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, birds chirped merrily and wind blew gently to her face. Hinagiku lifted a cup of tea to her lips before slowly sipping it. From the aroma, she deduced that the tea she is drinking is the Ceylon Tea. Its distinct fragrance made it almost impossible for her to mistake it with other types of tea. Putting down the cup, she leaned back and looked up to the sky. The clear, blue sky suddenly made her remember about a certain boy. Her cheeks began to blush.

It has been several weeks since that night. The night when Hinagiku finally realised her feelings towards Hayate. Ever since that night, she always flustered whenever the boy is around. Her heart started to race and she couldn't even look straight to his face, afraid that the boy would realise that she is blushing. Hinagiku always wanted Hayate to treat her more than just a friend. And yet, she couldn't tell him that. The main problem was…her ego. Hinagiku was expecting Hayate to tell her that he is in love with her. She feels that Hayate should make the first move simply because he is a boy. In her opinion, if she told Hayate that she is in love with him, it would make Hinagiku be at the losing side since it would make him feels that he is needed by the girl, not the other way around. Hinagiku really hoped that the boy would understand how she was feeling, but Hayate didn't seem to take it into notice. Hinagiku even felt that the boy was distancing himself from her. She hasn't seen him for a few days now, either at school, or at the mansion. Just thinking about it made Hinagiku felt a little down. Her thoughts were ended abruptly as she realised that the butler was approaching.

"Are you ready to go now Hinagiku-san?" Hinagiku gave him a quick nod before lifting her bag and followed him to the car parked nearby. Once there, she realised that Hayate is again, not at the car.

"Is Hayate not going to school today?" Asked Hinagiku. She was expecting the boy to be there, flashing a smile and greeting her like he usually does.

"He's umm…a little tied up."

"Eh? What do you mean? Is he busy or something?"

"No. Literally, he's tied up in his bed right now. I had the door locked from the outside and tied him in his bed so that he can't go anywhere."

"Is that a joke? I don't think that it's funny, butler..."

"Most unfortunately, no. I'm not joking. He's been very busy lately. I'm sure that you must've realised that. He locked himself in his room and worked for hours straight. I'm afraid that that might affect his health. So, as his butler, I advised him to take a rest, or at least a quick nap, but he ignored my words and told me to get more coffee for him. Realising that he would never listen to me, I was forced to make him take a rest."

"*Sweat drop* O-oh, I see… But what could it be that made him work so hard? I mean, last time, he was the exact opposite of workaholic."

"His business is going down lately. I think he's trying his best to stop that from happening since that would be very bad to the world economy, which, I'm sure you know, is pluming right now."

"If the economy is going down, there's nothing that he could do to stop it. After all, he's just a person…" Hinagiku paused as she realised that the butler was covering his mouth, obviously laughing. "HEY! What's so funny about that!"

"It seems like you still haven't comprehend the true extent of his wealth." He said with a smirk. "Don't you know that he currently controls 34 percent of the total global economy in his hands? He could easily trigger another economic meltdown just like the one that happened years ago if he had wanted to do so."

"No way. You're bluffing. He's not even in the list of 10 richest people on earth. How could he even have that amount of power?"

"That's simple. The richest person on the list isn't the richest man on earth. Do you realise that the name Ayasaki wasn't in that list? Don't you think that that is very odd? How can somebody as rich as the master didn't make it into that list? I mean, just look at him. How many people do you know that actually lives in a castle like he does? " Hinagiku realised the truth behind the butler's words, but she refuses to admit it.

"I know that he's rich…but maybe he's just not rich enough to be in that list…"

"…or maybe…he wanted to keep a low profile and decided not to disclose his wealth to the public."

"What do you mean? Don't rich people like him have to declare their possessions to the government to prove that their wealth came from legitimate sources? It's against the law for someone to hide their assets." The butler laughed in respond to what Hinagiku said.

"Don't you know the saying 'people with power are above the law'? Given the fact that he controls nearly half of the world economy, do you think that there is even a soul in this world who would dare to stand against him?" He paused for a moment before continuing. "And just to make it clear to you…the master wouldn't be affected very much if a recession were to happen. He has his own gold reserve worth at least around…umm I don't know…158 trillion dollars give or take in banks all over the world. Most of it however, is stored in the main mansion. It'll be more than enough to restore the world with that amount of money." Hinagiku's mouth was agape in astonishment. In all her 16 years of life, she had never encountered such absurd numbers. With that amount of money, Hayate practically rules the world!

"_He's even scarier than George S***s…"_

"Putting that aside, I'm in need of a favour from you."

"What is it?"

"Is it true that you'll be having a holiday next week?"

"Yeah. It's the Golden Week holiday. Why?"

"Well…I would be very happy if you could go with the master for a holiday…you know, to accompany him. I'm sure he won't say no if he knew that you'll be going there too. I'm sure both you and the master would love Switzerland."

"W-w-what! A-a vacation with Hayate-kun... alone?"

"_This could be the perfect chance for me to…to…"_ Hinagiku blushed secretly.

"Of course not. I'll be there too, but I might have to come a little bit later than the two of you because I have some works that needs to be taken care of. And of course, you also can bring some of your friends too. Regarding the expenses, I'm sure that the master wouldn't mind it if I take it out from his allowance."

"Oh…okay then."

"Thank you so much, Hinagiku-san. I'm sure he'll be very happy when he knows about this."

* * *

"_I wonder whom should I ask to go with me. Hmm… I know! How about Nagi-chan? She's always in her room playing video games all the time. She really needs to get fresh air sometimes."_ With that said, Hinagiku quickly looked for Nagi and found her sitting on a bench with her butler on her side, serving a cup of tea.

"Good morning, Nagi-chan."

"Good morning." The girl answered with the slightest interest. It gave Hinagiku the impression that Nagi must have been forced to go to school today.

"What's wrong, mistress? You're not as enthusiastic as you've always been…"

"Of course not! You woke me up at 3 in the morning and poured a bucket of freezing water on me! You've even forced me to do push-ups and I almost broke my hands thanks to you! Do you think we're in a boot camp or something!" Roared Nagi furiously. Her face was turning red and she was trembling out of extreme anger. A normal person would probably be terrified right now, but the butler simply let out a smile.

"Oh, but you must wake up early, mistress. It's a very bad habit for you to wake up late like you always do. As for the harsh wake-up call, I'm very sorry for what I've done, but at least I got you to warm up by exercising, didn't I? I've been told that you never exercise, so I've decided you should start working out as soon as possible before you have serious health problems such as heart attack due to your lack of exercise." The young man ended his lecture with an obviously faked smile before he bowed down, excusing himself to get some more tea for his mistress.

"_Are all butlers like this?" _Contemplated Hinagiku at the butlers' harsh treatment towards their master. Nagi looked at the butler in anger before she turned to Hinagiku.

"What do you want?" Nagi shot her a glare.

"I was just wondering…do you have any plan for next week?"

"Next week? Oh…you mean the holiday? Why do you want to know?"

"Nothing…it's just that I'm going for a holiday, but I don't have anyone to accompany me." Hinagiku decided that it would be safer not to tell anyone that she is going there with Hayate, just to avoid any misunderstanding.

"Sorry Hinagiku-san, I have the entire week planned. I'm afraid I'd have to turn down your offer."

"Does that 'plan' of yours have anything to do with your P*P or *box?" The butler suddenly asked. He was pushing a trolley with a couple of cups in it. "Tea?" He offered Hinagiku but she declined the offer.

"So what if they do?"

"*Sigh* You should go out and explore the world while you're still young, not locking yourself in a room and play video games all day long you know. It's gonna be very bad for you. You'll regret it one day."

"It's none of your business! Stay out of my life!" Nagi yelled before she pushed them aside and ran away.

"Don't worry, Hinagiku. I'll talk to her later. By the way, where should we meet?"

"At Hayate-kun's place."

"Hayate-kun's eh? Alright. Oh, speak of the devil. There he is." Kyousuke suddenly paused before he started to laugh. "Whoa…looking good Ayasaki!"

Hinagiku turned back and saw Hayate walking towards them. In contrast with what Kyousuke had just said, Hayate is actually in a really terrible condition. His eyes were half closed and had dark lines tracing under it, indicating how long he hasn't been asleep. His clothes were ragged, his hair was a mess and he had cuts and bruises all over his face. In short, he looks like someone who had been through hell and back.

"*Yawn* Good morning Hinagiku-san…" Said Hayate in a weary tone.

"What happened to you? I thought you were supposed to be in bed, taking your rest…And didn't your butler have tied you to your bed?"

"Ha ha…that's a good one, Ayasaki. Being ordered by your own butler…" Mocked Kyousuke, but Hayate ignored it completely.

"Well…you can say escaping is one of my specialties. As soon as I got out from my room, I remembered that I haven't go to school for days now. So…"

"But that still doesn't explain how you got these injuries."

"Oh this? Well…when I tried to get out from the mansion, the butler had released some bloodhounds to catch me back. Luckily, I managed to escape them and…" Hayate collapsed before he could finish his sentence.

"A-are you alright, Hayate-kun?" Asked Hinagiku, half panicked. The boy responded by raising a thumb, indicating that he is fine.

"Hmph, typical of him. Just leave him there, Hinagiku. He's just resting. You better go to class now." Kyousuke was about to turn away before Hinagiku stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going? Don't you have to go to class too? It's this way." Said Hinagiku, pointing to the opposite direction.

"Hey, I'm not a student here and I don't do schools. Only idiots go there. Alright then, see you later, Hinagiku." The boy walked away. Hinagiku shook her head before looking down at Hayate. After a moment of consideration, she headed towards the class, dragging Hayate behind her.

By the end of the day, Hinagiku only managed to persuade Chiharu Harukaze, her secretary to go with her. All her other friends had turned down her offer because they're having their holiday with their families. It made her slightly envious, thinking that they could spend their holiday with their family while she only has Hayate and Chiharu. At least, that's what she expected until…

**The departing day…**

"Err…Hinagiku-san, I thought that only Chiharu-san is coming…"whispered the butler, while pointing to a group of people in front of them. They were expecting only Chiharu to come, but it seems like there were several more…unexpected guests. Hinagiku counted all of them, and it turned out to be nine more people that she wasn't expecting to come.

"_That'll make the total number of people going to this trip to 13 people! That's way too many! And what's with that number? Isn't it unlucky?"_

"Hey, where's Hayata-kun?" Izumi asked. She looked around for any signs of the boy, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"The master is at the main mansion right now. We'll go there first." Said the butler before escorting his guests to a limousine.

He then drove the car away from the mansion and entered the forest. After a few minutes, they realised that they are heading towards a tall gateway at what seems to be the wall of a fortress. The wall looked very much impregnable. They looked further and saw a castle, situated at the top of a hill in front of them. It made them wonder what kind of people used to live there.

"Wow, that castle looks like the one in the Ra**. Does that Ayasaki person lives at that castle?" Asked Wataru. He and the others were looking at the castle in awe.

"Yes, the master does live there."

"This castle looks really well guarded…"

"Hmm…12 hidden infrared cameras with enhanced night capabilities, motion detectors, heat sensors and…is that a force field crossing?" Kyousuke pointed to a glowing purple road above a deep trench in front of them. "Man, this place surely is tough to break in to. What's next? Laser turrets?" He asked sarcastically, but the butler let out a smirk.

"Yes, we do have some turrets in there. But of course, this is a triple phased defence system, which means there are two more walls like this one, each of them with even higher security levels than this one. So I'd suggest you to just forget whatever you're thinking right now or you'll surely regret it." The butler said austerely as if he knew what was playing on Kyousuke's mind. Several minutes later, they saw Hayate at a small stand waving at them.

"Alright then, we're going to Sector 3…" Said the butler as Hayate entered the car.

"Sector 3? What's that?" Miki asked.

"It's an airfield at the western part of the mansion. I have a plane ready over there."

"What! We're going on a plane? I thought that we'll go on a cruise or something…In that case, you can drop me here, butler." Said Hinagiku decisively.

"Hey, both you and butler insisted me to go on a holiday, but now you're not going? What made you to change your mind, Hinagiku-san?" Said Hayate, half-angered.

"What if the plane crashes? Our chances of surviving a plane crash are very low compared to other means of transport…"

"Oh come on, don't think about it so negatively. Planes are the safest mean of transport in this planet. They're also the fastest…"

"My mind is made up and I don't want to board that plane no matter what you do to me." Hayate let out a sigh at Hinagiku's stubbornness.

All of a sudden, Kyousuke reached for Hinagiku's neck. With a simple maneuver, a faint cracking sound could be heard and Hinagiku dropped to the floor. "There, problem solved. She won't be up at least for a while." He said calmly.

"Don't you think that's a little too harsh?"

"Nah, at least I've shut her up. By the time she wakes up, it'll be too late for her to do anything about it."

When they reached the airfield, they were astonished to see a Boeing 747 parked right there. There was even a very long and wide runway, perfect for any types of planes, be it a Cessna or a C-17 Galaxy to land. They began to realise the true scale of Hayate's mansion. The group boarded the plane and chose their seats. The plane, being a private jet, only has fewer seats compared to a normal 747 planes. That means each passenger could have even more space for themselves compared to a normal, cramped 747 seats. After seating the unconscious Hinagiku and fastening her seatbelt, Hayate went to the back of the plane and fetched some drinks for everyone.

"Why do you need plane as huge as this? I mean, can't you use smaller planes for the same purpose?" Asked Risa when Hayate passed her a bottle of apple juice.

"I always go overseas, and sometimes, I need to bring a lot of guests with me too. So, this plane is just perfect for me. Besides, smaller planes are very uncomfortable, especially when landing or departing and when going through a storm. They tend to shook a lot, and I hate that." He then turned to the butler who was exiting the plane. "Oh, by the way, you haven't told me where our destination is."

"You'll be going to Switzerland. That place would be perfect for you since it is autumn there right now and the scenery's great. I'll catch up with all of you in a few days. So please enjoy yourselves, and have a good time!" Said the butler before he closed the door and left the plane. Moments later, the plane departed. After a few minutes of flight, a voice coming from the intercom could be heard throughout the plane.

"Good morning, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight H475. We are now cruising at an altitude of 25,000 feet at 350 kilometres per hour. We will arrive at Athens International Airport in exactly 12 hours 2 minutes from now. Food will be served shortly. While enjoying your meal, you will be entertained by back-to-back 7 episodes of Hairy Putter series." Hayate let a smile upon hearing that.

"Ugh…I thought that we're supposed to go to Switzerland, not Greece…" A voice could be heard from beside Hayate.

"Had a good sleep, Hinagiku-san?" Hayate looked at her and realised that she was turning white, trembling and clutching her armrest as tightly as she could. It was obvious that she was completely terrified by the fact that she's thousands of feet above ground.

"H-h-hey, what's the meaning of this? How did I got into this plane? I thought I've told you that I didn't want to go…"

"It's a very long story, Hinagiku-san."

"More importantly, why did the captain said that we're going to Athens? I thought that we're going to Switzerland!"

"Oh, calm down Hinagiku-san. Here, have your Hors d'œuvre." Said Hayate while handing her a plate, but he saw the sharp look on her eyes. "Okay, okay, I'll explain it to you. I've been asked to attend a meeting by the EEC at Athens, and of course I can't…"

"So you decided to bribe the pilot with your money and have him take us there!" Hinagiku said in anger. She suddenly recalled what the butler had told her about 'people with power are above the law'. She's not going to let Hayate do as he pleases just because he is rich.

"Bribe? I think you've got the wrong idea, Hinagiku-san. Actually…" Hayate walked to the front of the plane and opened the door leading to the cockpit. They peered inside and saw nothing but a couple of monitors and tall racks of highly sophisticated computers filling the room. "…this plane is fully automatic. You only have to set the destination and this plane will take you there. This system can be locked so that it will only go to its destination, in this case, Switzerland. But I've…tweaked it a little and changed its course to Athens."

"Tweaked it huh? Nice… " Kyousuke said with a grin.

"And so, I'd like to suggest for you to calm down and enjoy the movie, Hinagiku-san." Hayate sat down on his chair and watched the movie with a huge smile across his face. He knew that once again, he had outsmarted his butler.

* * *

Please tell me what you guys think about this chapter. Personally, I feel that this chapter had a little problem with it's flow, but it seems like I couldn't point my finger on it. And from t this chapter forth, updates will be a lot slower than the usual (not that it's very quick to begin with). My new semester is starting very soon and my parents has been asking me when am I going to start reading my books. It's only a matter of time before they declared the Marshall Law and restrict my access to my pc.

Well then, till next time, or as the french would say; Jusqu'à la prochaine fois!


	9. Chapter 9: What a night

**_~~Reviewers' Corner~~_**

**Rialga: **Ah...I knew someone would realise this sooner or later. Actually, the reason why they lacked in reaction when they found out that Hayate was a rich person is because they're accustomed to see rich people around them. I mean, hey, they're studying at Hakuo Academy, a school where rich celebrities and business tycoons sent their kids to learn, right? Of course there are many other kids as rich as them.

**animelover: **Caught your tongue, didn't I?

**Catilleon: **Everyone has a speck of evil in their soul...that's what makes us human. Even in the manga/anime he tried to kidnap Nagi and ask for a huge amount of ransom.

** anon:** Aww...that's very nice of you my dear niece.

**Chino023: **Better late than never, right?

**BloodTrinity, MiaMercury & Anonymous: **Thanks, I really appreciate it!**  
**

Whoa... The number of people reviewing my story rose so suddenly. At this rate, there's no way I can keep this corner up!...Just kidding~ ;p I thank you for all the supports I received from my dear readers (^_^) Thank you so much! *bows down politely* Anyway...here's the next chapter of...oh who am I kidding, you know what I'm talking about...

* * *

Chapter 9_: What a night...  
_

"Ah~! Such a nice weather we're having today. Come on, what are you guys waiting for? Let's go!" Said Hayate as he stretched his limbs. He turned back and saw the others looking all queasy.

"What a bunch of weaklings. We only travelled by plane for a few hours and they're having a serious case of jet lag? How pathetic." Mocked Kyousuke with a smirk.

"Don't compare yourself with them. It's normal for someone to feel nauseous after 12 hours of flight." Said Hayate to Kyousuke. "Alright then, the car should be somewhere around here…" The boy looked around before suddenly, a very familiar voice was heard behind him.

"The car is already waiting at the main entrance. Please, allow me to escort you there." Hayate suddenly felt a very terrifying chill on his spine and turned back slowly, praying that what he was thinking wasn't real. Right behind him, stood a very tall man in black, with a very wide smile. Well, the god's not feeling very generous today to make his wish come true…

"B-b-butler…w-w-what are you doing here? W-weren't you supposed to be at Swit…" His usually impeccable speech suddenly became stuttered as he knew that he's in a really big mess right now.

"*Sigh* You're acting like a child you know. Running away like that…" The butler shook his head.

"Oo~h…busted…" Kyousuke whispered with a laugh at Hayate's ear.

"But how did you…"

"We'll talk about this later when we're back at Japan. Alright, master?" He gave Hayate a very cheerful smile. Hayate gulped in fear. He knew exactly what that sugar-coated smile means. "Well, since we're all here, I guess we should find a place to stay first. Please come with me." Said the butler before he led the group to a car. "Where are we staying, butler? Is it some kind of a hotel or something?" Asked Wataru.

"Oh, no. The master has a villa somewhere at the outskirts of the city. It might take us a while to go there since it's quite far from here."

It took them 2 hours to reach the villa. At first they took the highways but then the car took a corner into a thick and dense forest. The strange thing was that even though they are going deeper and deeper into the forest, the road is still as smooth as the highways. It made them remember the journey they took to go to Hayate's main mansion. When the group finally arrived at the villa, they were stunned by its beauty. It had a touch of classic English style house and surrounded by gardens of beautiful flowers. Although it was smaller than his guest wing mansion in Japan, it was still very beautiful. And behind the house, there was a high cliff facing the ocean. Although the scenery was beautiful and all, Issumi however, seems to think otherwise. She looked around anxiously, as if there's something bothering her, but nobody paid any attention to her as they knew that the girl was just afraid that she might get lost in the huge villa.

"Let's go inside. Make yourselves at home." Hayate opened the door of the house and led them inside. As soon as they stepped into the house, it became obvious to them that Hayate had a very exquisite taste in choosing ornamentation for his house. The hallway was quite long but it was filled with many expensive decorations. The walls were adorned with works of arts from all over the world. After showing them to the rest of the house, he led their way to the dining room for lunch.

"Eh? Why aren't you guys eating? The food's great." Said Kyousuke as he realised that only he and Hayate were enjoying their meal. The others were just looking at the food, without even touching them. "Ah...looking at this food, it made me remember all the horrible food I had to eat while I was in the amazonian forest. Worms, bugs, snails..." Kyousuke went on and on, before Hayate realised that the others were looking more and more sick.

"Err…if you guys aren't feeling well, we can always postpone our trip till tomorrow. Butler," Called Hayate, "…could you please show them to their rooms?"

"Very well master. Right this way please…" Said the butler as he opened the door, escorting them out.

"I guess I'll be going with them too…" Kyousuke stood up, wanting to follow the group. "Excuse me, but where do you think you're going? Did I give you the permission to leave?" Kyousuke turned back, wanting to scorn Hayate, before he suddenly realised the glare coming from Hayate's eyes.

"Sit down. And please close the door behind you. I have something that I need to speak to you…"

* * *

Later that night, as everyone was sleep, Hayate suddenly woke up in darkness of his bedroom, drenched in sweat. He covered his face, remembering the dream he just had. It was the same nightmare he used to have. Used to, as he hadn't had that nightmare for years now. Hayate walked to the bathroom, washing his face. He decided to go to the yard to get some fresh air. It might help him to clear his mind. There, he sat down at a bench with his head lowered.

It all became clear to him. The dream. The past he struggled to forget. All of it, every single one of it was his fault. If only he hadn't done that. If only he could return to the times it all happened to correct his mistakes, everything would be different. But now, it has become a thing of a past. No matter how much he cried, no matter how much he hoped, it will never become true. Just remembering about it pains him so much. He raised his head, looking up to the bright full moon. All of the sudden, his chest hurts. He felt like crying. It was on a night like this, the night when…

"Hey." A voice called, causing an abrupt end to the reminiscence. He turned around and saw a pink-haired girl behind him.

"Oh, it's you, Hinagiku-san…"

"Can I have a seat here?" Asked the girl, pointing to an empty space beside Hayate.

"Oh, sure." Said the boy before he shifted a little to give the girl more space.

"What is it? You were staring up at the night sky by yourself…"

"Nothing really. What are you doing here, Hinagiku-san?"

"I went over to the kitchen to get some drink since I was a little thirsty…" Hinagiku paused, realising that Hayate wasn't paying any attention to her. Instead, he was looking to the sky with a rather sad expression. It made Hinagiku wonder whether he's having a problem.

"The night's beautiful... why don't we go for a walk at the park?" Said Hinagiku.

"Hmm?"

"Well…usually, if I have problems, I would go out in the middle of the night to take a walk. It's always so calm and peaceful at night, and it would help me to forget about my problems, even if it's only for a while. There's no reason why it wouldn't work on you too." She gave Hayate a smile. He looked at her for a moment, considering what the girl just said. Finally, he gave her a nod.

The two walked through the gardens, distancing from each other. The moon was bright and it shone their way to the park. It was a very quiet walk. Neither of them spoke anything. Not even the sound of the crickets could be heard. Hinagiku was feeling a little depressed. She wanted to start a conversation with Hayate, but she didn't know of any topic that would be appropriate for her to discuss with Hayate at the time. Hinagiku was a little mad at herself for not taking the first step to start a conversation with the boy. All of the sudden, she felt a very cold sensation on her cheek. Her natural reaction was to let out a yelp before jumping to a side with her hand on her cheek, looking around anxiously. The only person there was Hayate. He was holding two cans drinks.

"Sorry if I surprised you, Hinagiku-san. I've called you several times, but I guess you didn't hear me."

"O-oh…it's okay."

"Here you go, Hinagiku-san. You said you were thirsty, weren't you? I got you some drinks. I hope that you'll like green tea."

"My favourite. Thanks, Hayate-kun." She gave Hayate a smile, but he returned it half-heartedly. It was silent again between the two. Hinagiku took a sip from the can, enjoying the refreshing placed the drinking can down before noticing that the boy hasn't even opened his yet. Instead, he just stared blankly at the distant glittering lights of the city. Not able to tolerate it any longer, Hinagiku broke the silence.

"Hayate-kun, are you sure that everything's alright?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"You yourself don't look like yourself these days…" Asked Hinagiku in concern. Hayate shook his head slowly.

"Really? I'm fine Hinagiku-san. There's no need for you to worry about me. I'm just… a little tired, that's all." He flashed Hinagiku a smile. The girl quickly turned her face away, afraid that Hayate would realise that she's blushing. It was silence again between the two.

"A-a-anyway, Hayate-kun, I have a q-question for you…"

"Oh? And what might that be?" He asked the girl.

"H-have you ever been in lo-…"And right at that moment, she felt like she was being choked by unseen hands. Her voice failed to be projected as she planned. _"What are you doing Hinagiku! This is the perfect chance for you to confess your feelings. If you messed this up, you'll never get this chance again!"_

"Pardon?" Asked Hayate confusedly.

"H-ha-have you ever been i-i-in lo…lo…to London!"

"Eh? London?"

"..."

"Yeah... quite a few times actually..."

"N-n-no! That's not what I'm trying to say! I mean…have you ever b-b-been in…love?"

"Have I ever been in love…? Why would you want to know about that?"

"Just answer the question already!"

"Hmm…" Hayate paused for a while looking at Hinagiku. Even in the faint light he could see her blushing face clearly. "What if, I said that I'm in love with you, Hinagiku Katsura-san?" A smile was carved on his face.

"Eh? W-w-what? What did you just said?" Her heart was skipping at that revelation. She had never thought that it would turn out like this. Hayate used his fingertips to hold Hinagiku's chin and lift up her face. Faced with such a direct intimation, Hinagiku blushed and her eyes shifted downward.

"H-H-Hayate-kun…th-this…" Said Hinagiku in stutter, yet she didn't even resist. Seeing that, Hayate's face closed in even more.

"Hinagiku, there's something that I really need to tell you…"At that moment, she had stopped breathing, too anxious to know what Hayate is going to say next. Hinagiku had never thought the possibility of Hayate doing something like this. The boy closed to her ear before whispering something to her. A few moments later, he pulled his head back. Hinagiku looked at him in perplexity, her eyes blinked a few times. "Eh…?" It took her a moment to comprehend it all. Hayate however looked at her with a mischievous smile across his face.

All of the sudden, the boy flew a few metres up before his landed, smacked onto the cold, hard pavement. His left cheek felt like it was stung by a thousand bees. Holding the pain back, he slowly opened his teary eyes. All he could see was the back of the girl walking briskly away from him. He sat up and looked at the direction she was going. Hinagiku didn't even look back at him. She just continued walking until she was gone under the darkness of the night. It took Hayate a while before he stood up and sat on the bench. He lifted his unopened can before placing it slowly on his cheek.

"Ouch! ...Hinagiku-san slapped me quite hard, didn't she?" He laughed at himself for a moment. "I guess I shouldn't tell her that I was just kidding huh?" He smiled before placing the cool tin can on his cheek again. Hayate leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. The silence of the night cleared his head from all the hings that had been worrying him. He glanced to his watch. The light greenish display on the watch told him that the time was 02:30.

"_I guess I better go back to the villa now. It's very late already."_ With that in mind, he stood up and walked towards the road. Just as he got to the side of the road, a car passed in front of him. Although the window of the car was dark, his eyes were sharp enough to catch a glimpse of the person at the back of the car. In an instance, a very strange feeling struck him. He was frozen right where he stood. Memories, the same one he tried so hard to forget suddenly rushed back into his mind. Instinctively, his feet moved on it's own and it wasn't long before he realised that he was chasing after the car.

_"Those long, golden hairs and the saffron eyes… I could tell at first glance. At first glance I know that it was her…" _Hayate took a corner and entered a path leading to a huge , he realised that he was not in the city area anymore. Instead, Hayate was standing at what appears to be a very beautiful garden full of flowers. Right before his eyes, stood a very beautiful woman in dressed in black. The lady was looking at him expressionlessly, as if waiting for the boy to explain himself.

_"I knew that I had to say something to you…something…but what? What? WHAT!" _Hayate tried desperately to think of something to say to her but before a word got out from his mouth, the girl had asked him a question.

"Do you have a habit of getting lost in flower gardens?"

"Eh?" Hayate was confused by her question.

"But unfortunately, this is my house's garden. I don't know who you are…but please leave."

"_S-she doesn't remember me?" _Contemplated Hayate in surprise. "N-no…! It's me, I'm Hayate Ayasaki!"

"I already told you…I don't know who you are. Weren't you listening?"

"_Th-that's right. I was just getting excited all on my own…I have no proof that the person before me is Athena Tennousu,"_

"ATHENA…!" A loud voice could be heard. The girl turned and faced a young man with light-coloured hair. "I was wondering where you had gone in the middle of the night…what are you doing in the garden?"

"Machina…" The blonde-haired said in a very low voice, almost whispering.

"_Athena? Did he just called her Athena!" _There was a distinct possibility for the person in front of him is the girl whom he thought to be. Seizing the moment, Hayate tried to make her remember about him.

"Um… like I said… my name is…" Before he could even finish his sentence, the so-called Machina person landed a swift attack onto Hayate, forcing him back. He was so fast that Hayate couldn't even see it coming.

"Who are you and what do you want with Athena?" He asked in suspicion. Hayate coughed, struggling to get back onto his feet.

"Stop it Machina. You will end up killing that boy. Well…with that, you shouldn't be going into other people's house without permission. If you come here again, you won't get off so easily," Said the women coldly before the gates were closed in front of the boy. He could only watch as the two returned to the mansion. Lowering his face, Hayate walked away in despair.

"_She doesn't remember me…If I think about it, it's been 10 years. Although it was a really important time for me, but for her…it might have just been of something of no significance. If she really has forgotten, there's no reason for me to make her remember…I don't need to make her remember all those painful memories...Ill keep those memories inside me… forever…"_

_

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_ What do you think about this chapter? Is it any good? Sorry for the cliche-ish ending, but I'll make it up to you guys with the next chapter! And mark my word, it'll be quite an epic story too, so I really hope that you could support me by R&R. Who knows, I might finish it even faster than I expected ^^


	10. Chapter 10: Kyousuke The Combat Butler?

**_~~Reviewers' Corner~~_**

**Rialga: **If I answered that question, it would've become a spoiler, wouldn't it? BTW, I think you got a point there. It's true that there's no one in Hakuo that's richer, or at least on par with Hayate's wealth, but just like what Julius Ceasar said, alea iacta est (the die has been cast), I'm not going to go through this thing again, kay~? Anyway, keep the ConCrit coming so that I could make this story better.

**MiaMercury&animelover: **That's very nice of you guys...^_^**  
**

**Chino23: **hehehe...there's lots more of that coming soon!**  
**

Hmm... I managed to finish this chapter far earlier than I originally expected... Well, consider this as my new year present to you guys, enjoy!  
BTW, this chapter contains slight violence and a hell lot of harsh words...so if you guys can't stand this kind of things... nah, just read it and please don't forget to review!

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Chapter 10_: Kyousuke the Combat Butler!_

_ "Damn…if only I hadn't accepted the task to infiltrate the Sanzenins, I'm sure I'd be enjoying myself at some tropical island right now."_ Sighed Kyousuke. He recalled the exciting days he had before he was told to work under the Sanzenins. He felt that it was a waste of talent for someone like him to be working under a rich, spoiled brat and had to obey each and every whim of his mistress. Sighing once again, Kyousuke entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Pulling out a knife from the rack, Kyousuke examined the blade closely. It was a common household ceramic knife. To the eyes of a normal person, this knife had no other usage than to slice foods. But Kyousuke knew this knife have a lot more potential than that. These kind of knives will not corrode in harsh environments, making them popular with scuba divers. They are also nonmagnetic and do not conduct electricity, which can be useful during bomb disposal operations. Their chemical inertness to extreme pHs, and their ability to retain a cutting edge longer than forged metal knives make them a suitable culinary tool for slicing boneless meat, vegetables and fruit. However, the most interesting thing about this kind of knives is that it is undetectable by metal detectors. Perfect for assassinations. _"Hmm…this knife is just what I would want for my Christmas present..."_ Kyousuke smiled to himself.

"Fantasising about another assassination, aren't you, Mikhailov?" A voice suddenly asked behind him. Acting out of pure instinct, Kyousuke turned back and threw the blade directly at the source of the voice. In less than a fraction of a second, a loud cracking sound could be heard at the wall, indicating that the blade missed its target. Kyousuke flicked his fingers and in an instance, the entire kitchen turned bright. Sitting at a table in front of him, was Hayate, holding a wineglass in his right hand while his head was tilted to a side. A bottle was placed beside him. If one would look further behind, the knife could be seen embedded at the wall behind the two.

"Don't surprise me like that…" Said Kyousuke calmly. Although, he felt a little disappointed for missing his target. "What are you doing here, Ayasaki?" Asked Kyousuke. He waited for a few moments in vain for the boy to answer him, but apparently, Hayate was lost in his thoughts. "Wait a minute; have you been drinking whiskey or something?" The boy pointed at the bottle beside Hayate.

"This? …Nope…just some wine from the cellar…" Answered Hayate faintly. Kyousuke took a closer look at Hayate. He looked a little disoriented, a common sign of someone who is drunk. The boy also noticed that Hayate's eyes looked a teary, as if he had just cried. Hayate finished the remaining of his drink in the glass before he turned his attention to Kyousuke. Judging from the knife Kyousuke held, the apron he was wearing and the chopped up vegetables on the table, Hayate deduced that the boy was preparing breakfast. "Let me take care of the food. Could you please go to the dining room and help my butler out with the table?"

"I don't take orders, especially from you…"

"I said please, didn't I?" Kyousuke shrugged.

"Are you sure you're alright Ayasaki?"

"Yeah…don't worry about me."

* * *

"Hey Kyousuke, what's for breakfast today…?" Nagi asked, still half asleep. In contrast to the others who had dressed up, Nagi was still in her pyjama. It seems like someone had forced her to wake up, judging from her grouchy attitude. He quickly abandoned his thoughts about teasing her.

"I don't know. Hayate's the one who's cooking…" Answered Kyousuke before he was interrupted by Sakuya.

"He's cooking eh? Well, this ought to be interesting,"

"Eh? Why is that?" Nagi asked.

"'Coz rich guys like him usually depends on their servants to do everything for them. They could never do anything on their own. I'm sure that his cooking would be really disgusting," Sakuya said mockingly.

And almost like on cue, Hayate entered the dining room with two large platters on both his hands. The aroma of freshly-baked breads suddenly filled the room as he placed the platters on the table. Kyousuke looked at Hayate. He realised that Hayate is back to his normal, cheerful self.

"I'm very sorry for the wait. I hoped that you would like it," Hayate opened the cover of the first platter. Loaves of French breads, toasts, croissants and scones appeared before their eyes. The golden bread made their mouths watering almost instantly. You don't need a professional to tell you that those golden breads were made by the hands of a master. Hayate then lifted the cover of the second platter.

"And here's the spreading. I don't know which one would you like, so I had taken the liberty to prepare some mayonnaise, tuna and salmon spread, marmalade, butter, margarine and a few types of jam such as strawberry, blueberry and blackberry, freshly picked from the garden behind this villa. I hope that this would satisfy you. Oh, I also have prepared some parfaits for dessert, if you want." He said with a smile. They were stunned to see the abundance of food in front of them.

"D-did you make this all by yourself?" She asked, completely amazed.

"Of course." He answered while taking off his mittens and apron before taking his seat.

"Hahaha…it seems like you've taken the entire bakery here." Kyousuke joked. Everyone laughed before they took their breads of choice and ate them. All of the sudden, everyone in the room wowed.

"T-this is the best croissant I've ever had!" Wataru exclaimed.

"Hey, this French bread is good too! I take back what ever I had said about you before, Hayate-kun." Sakuya said.

"How did you make something this incredible in a very short time, Hayate?" Saki asked him.

"Well, it is quite easy actually if you have the skills. I used to work at a patisserie (1) a long time ago." He replied. "Oh, I almost forgot, where do you guys want to go today? After all, this is such a fine day. We should go out and explore this place. Any ideas?" Asked Hayate, but none of them answered. It seems like they had never been to Greece, and so they couldn't have any idea about any tourist attraction there.

"How about the Parthenon?" Chiharu suddenly said.

"The Parthenon? Hmm…okay. Any objections?" All of them gave positive reactions to his question. "Alright, we'll go to the Parthenon today. I'll be waiting for you guys outside." Said Hayate simply before he excused himself.

About half an hour later, they reached their destination. Everyone was quite exited to be there, with the exception of Hinagiku. She looked very pale and shaken. That's probably because she wasn't expecting for the Parthenon to be on top of Acropolis, a hill considered sacred by ancient Greeks. "Geez…do they really need to put this place so high up…?" Muttered Hinagiku alone.

"We'll meet here again in two hours. Don't go too far or you might get lost." Reminded Hayate to the group. All of them began to go their separate ways, exploring the area.

"Umm…Hinagiku-san, may I have a word with you?"

"What!" Answered the girl sharply. Hinagiku shot the boy a glare.

"Uh…are you still angry at me, Hinagiku-san?"

"Hmph!" Hinagiku left Hayate behind, stomping her feet away.

_"*laugh* I guess she's still angry at me huh?" _Contemplated Hayate before looking up to the ancient building. He smiled to himself. _"Ah…the Parthenon. A temple built as a tribute to the patron of Athens and the greatest ancient Greek goddess… Athena."_

_

* * *

_

"Hey guys, do you know where Hayate-kun is?"

"He told us to be here in two hours, but he's nowhere to be seen…" Said Issumi worriedly. "Do you think we should go and look for him?"

"Nah…he could look after himself. Let's go back to the villa now." Said Kyousuke calmly. The others however, refused. "Oh c'mon, how old do you think he…!" Kyousuke suddenly paused. A group of six men in western suits had them surrounded. "Oh crap…" Grunted Kyousuke. Completely caught off guard by the sudden bound, the group froze.

"Mikhailov, you're going to pay what you've done to us with your life!" Said one of the men in Italian.

All of the sudden, the men took out their guns. Hinagiku and the others quickly felled themselves to the ground, hoping not to be hit by the bullets. A loud gunfire suddenly filled the air before the sound of multiple bodies falling to the ground could be heard. They opened their eyes slowly and were terrified by what they saw. The men who had pointed guns towards them are now dead. Red coloured blot stained their clothes. _"Blood!"_ Thought them all in similar.

Turning back, they saw Kyousuke holding a pair of guns with its barrels still smoking. The magazines of the guns fell to the ground before Kyousuke took out two more magazines from his jacket, reloading the gun. It now became obvious to them that Kyousuke was the one who had defeated the men. His guns were fired so quick, that their ears perceived the sound of multiple gunfire as one.

"Hey," Said Kyousuke to them, "…if you want to live, we better move now. They're gonna send reinforcements you know." He then walked pass the bodies calmly, as if nothing had ever happened. They took the chance to look at their now-dead assailants. They were lying in the pool of their own blood. Their lifeless eyes looked up to the sky in horror.

"Could you guys move faster? We'll be dead too if we don't hurry up." The others quickly followed the boy. They were only metres away from the car before five other cars suddenly stopped in front of them, and about a dozen men dressed the same way as the men before came out, blocking their mean of exiting the area. Moments later, another man in white coat stepped out from the car with an evil grin across his face. He had a striking resemblance with the mafia boss in The Go*father. The man pulled his leather glove off before putting it into his pocket.

"Ah…Mr. Mikhailov. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Just like the other man before, he too spoke in Italian.

"Yeah…I guess you can say that, Giovanni." Said Kyousuke with a nod. He then started to whisper in such a way that his lips didn't even seemed to move at all. "Listen carefully, Katsura. I'm gonna distract them and I want you to bring the others to the car…" Hinagiku however, pushed Kyousuke aside and stepped forth.

"What's going on here? What do you want from us?" Suddenly, Kyousuke pulled her back. "Are you retarded or something! They got guns pointed at us and you still wanna provoke them? Just let me handle this, would you!"

"You're a brave one aren't you, little missy? *smirk* Oh, we didn't want anything from you or your friends. we only wanted his life." The man pointed to Kyousuke. "But then again... I can't let any possible witnesses to be around, can I? And so," Giovanni turned to his men, "…kill them."

"WAIT! Wait…listen to me…These people around me are just kids…I'm the one who's posing the real danger here, aren't I? If they're this close to me, I could just use them as my human shield. Do you really want to take that risk?" Kyousuke said to the man in white. "H-how dare you! You're going to use us as your shield!" Nagi and several others yelled angrily. Both Kyousuke and the man in white however, ignored the commotion and looked at each other intently.

Giovanni knew the truth behind Kyousuke's words. He knew all too well the level of threat that the boy standing in front of him poses. His predecessor had underestimated the boy and he had to pay his mistake with his very life. Besides, the odds are with him right now. His men outnumbered the enemy by at least 2:1. It wouldn't very hard if he chose to kill the rest of them later. After all, they're just a bunch of kids. Kyousuke on the other hand, are much more of a threat then the rest of them.

"Alright, if you really wanted to die first, who am I to deny your wish…"

"No, Kyousuke!" Yelled Nagi. Realising the fact that he might just be killed scared her. "You're my butler! You can't…" She paused as she saw the smile on Kyousuke's face.

"Don't worry, mistress. I'll protect you. That's my job." He smiled reassuringly before distancing himself from them, but still maintaining his sight on those men.

"Aww… How sweet of you Mikhailov. Don't worry; she'll be joining you soon…in hell." As he said those words, Kyousuke's body flew. As if hit by an invisible car, or struck in the head by a metallic bat, his body smashed forcefully into the ground. Surprised by what they had seen, they scattered away for cover.

Several moments later, a veritable explosion of sound shook the air. As if Kyousuke hadn't even been given enough time to recognize the sound of gunfire, the body that rolled on the ground seemed powerless – like a puppet whose strings have been cut. On the other hand, Giovanni wore a smile, watching as Kyousuke was blown away. He slowly retreated without ever looking away.

As if swapping positions, as Giovanni retreated, his men stepped forth and spread out in a fan-shaped formation and surrounded Kyousuke and extracted the contents of their cases in swift, practiced motions. What lay within were not documents, or product samples, but weapons. There were M16s, MP5s, grenades and many other types of weapons in their briefcases. It was like they were a group of walking arsenal!

The men casually placed this thing that would not normally appear in a businessman's briefcase near their waists, as if it were only natural, and then, without hesitation, they pulled the trigger. The bullets were fired out in full-auto, and several hundred shots crashed into Kyousuke's body as one. Hit asphalt was crushed into a fine mist, staining the surroundings grey. The men took no notice and continued to spray fire over a wide area in Kyousuke's direction. It took less than five seconds for them to run through their magazines, and they quickly inserted new clips before resuming fire.

Then this scene repeated itself once more.

When each had expended all three of their cartridges, the men swiftly took cover while their places were taken by another group of men with rocket launchers. One of the men raised his hand slowly before holding the position in mid-air. And as he dropped his hand, the men pulled the trigger of their weapons almost at the same time. Missiles after missiles hit the ground where Kyousuke's body laid. The violent explosion blew away everything where it landed.

"...No matter how strong that man is... there's no way he could survive this." Looking at the dusty scene of the explosion, Giovanni muttered to himself without emotion.

Indeed, there aren't many who could survive such an encounter. To expend close to a thousand bullets and over a dozen missiles – to call it overkill would be an understatement. An attack that would have made you feel that the objective was not to 'kill', but rather 'eradicate', to attack to the point that nothing remained. This was just such an attack.

He shifted his eyes slightly, seeing the group that accompanied Kyousuke before, hugging each in fear. Even the pink-haired girl, who was so brave before, was now looking at the scene in horror. Nagi however, had already burst to tears.

On the other hand, in the corner where Kyousuke lay, the remains of the destroyed building began to collapse, forming a small hill of concrete rubble. Even were you to search under that hill, it would have been unlikely for you to find even a scrap of cloth remaining.

"Dig the corpse out. I want to see his dead body by my own eyes." Ordered Giovanni. At that moment, the men bearing the assault rifles ran out and encircled the small hill of concrete. The entire area was shrouded in total silence. One of the men was about to make his move towards the pile before a faint sound emerged from the bottom of the small hill, slicing through the silence.

"...!"

The originally puppet-like, emotionless faces of the men seemed shaken for the first time. A black shadow appeared from within the misty, white dust, and the sound of steady footsteps flowed forth. Their leader, Giovanni, instantly knew that something is going terribly wrong. He quickly entered one of the cars. Before the car fled, he gave an order to his men.

"F-fire! Use everything you got and don't leave anything behind, not even a strand of hair! " It was a command shouted in a voice that no longer radiated calm. Driven by fear and the voice, the men reflexively pulled the trigger. The erupting gunfire, loud enough to cause deafness, echoed through the entire area. After being hit by several hundred more bullets, the black shadow fell once more.

"...Phew..."

Someone breathed out in relief, as if released from a heavy burden. Following his lead, the other men began to relax, one by one. At that moment–

"Making such a scene, as always. Is this the best that you maggots can do?" Kyousuke said with a smirk. He walked out from the pile of rubbles, dusting his shoulder. Other than a little dirt, he had suffered no damage at all. Before the men in suits could even raise their weapons, eight of them suddenly fell down, each with a single blade in their neck. The blade had been thrown to hit precisely at their carotid artery, causing an instant death. Seeing that, the remaining members of the group scattered away, trying to seek refuge from the beast.

Nagi and the rest of the group were stunned by what they had just seen. A man had just walked out from a blast zone, totally unharmed. If someone told them about that before this happened, none of them would believe it. But now, after seeing what had just happened, they just didn't know what to believe anymore.

The young butler made a gesture with his head, telling them to wait for him at the car before he dashed away, pursuing the fleeing party. They tried to catch up to the boy, but he was too fast for them before they lost sight of him in no time. They returned to the car and waited for him there. After a few minutes, Kyousuke finally came back to the car, wiping his hands with a handkerchief. He walked up to them casually as if nothing ever happened. He opened the door for them before he took the driver seat and drove the car.

"What just happened?" Asked Chiharu in confusion. "Who were they? Why did they attack us?"

"Dunno." Answered Kyousuke simply.

"Okay... but why did they keep calling you Mikhailov?" Kyousuke shrugged in response to that question. It seems like he wasn't even paying any attention at all.

"Hey, wait a minute, where's Hayate-kun? And the butler too?" Upon hearing that, they began looked at each other, trying to see the two whether the two are in the car right now. When they realise the absence of the two, they began to panic.

"Umm…about that…he's actually…" Kyousuke tried to explain, but the situation in the car was so noisy that his voice had gone unheard.

"OH MY GOD! Don't tell me that he's been taken away by those people or something!"

"Guys…" He tried to pull their attention to him.

"Did we left him at Acropolis! Kyousuke, we've got to…"

"SHUT THE F**K UP!" Roared Kyousuke angrily. The entire car suddenly turned silent again. "Geez…that bastard and his stupid butler have gone to the stupid meeting of his in Italy. He had asked…or rather…made me baby sit you guys…" Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of bullets hitting the windows of the car could be heard.

Everyone ducked instinctively for cover while Kyousuke glanced to his side mirror. A fleet of cars was in hot pursuit of them. They fired their guns randomly without even bothering the fact that they may hit pedestrians or anyone else at the road.

"_They really are persistent, aren't they?" _Kyousuke sighed mentally. "Don't worry. This car's completely bullet proof. There's no way that small rounds like that could…" All of the sudden, the deafening sound of several helicopters flying around them could be heard. He looked out and saw the barrels of a gun beside the helicopters are rotating, prepared to be fired. He knew all too well that the 30mm bullets fired from the 249 Vigilante AA Gatling gun could easily pierce even a military standard bullet proof glass. Kyousuke slammed his foot on the brake pedal as hard as he could before taking a sharp corner into a small alley, evading the helicopters just in time before they fired at them. It was so violent that everyone in the car was thrown to the other side.

"KYOUSUKE! At least give us a warning before you do something like that!" The entire car cried in anger.

"Geez, first they used rocket launchers at me and now they're using choppers? What's next? Tanks?" Said Kyousuke sarcastically and laughed at his own joke. Saki suddenly screamed. "WATCH OUT!" The boy looked forward and saw a tank aiming its cannon at them. You just have to ask, don't you?

"OH SHIT!" And yet again, Kyousuke had to make another sharp turn. And he made that move just in the nick of time too. Almost like in a slow-motion movie, they could see the 150 pound ammo missing them before it exploded, destroying the entire fleet of cars behind them.

"How the hell did they get their hands on that Abrams?" Muttered Kyousuke alone. He shifted his eyes slightly and realises that the rest of the car was shaking in terror. "Are you guys afraid?"

"No, of course not. We're just rationally concerned…" Returned Hinagiku cynically. She was quite angry because what was supposed to be a very relaxing trip turned out to be the one that might cost their lives.

"Hahaha…that's the spirit." He looked out again and realised that the helicopters are right back on their tails. He took out an Uzi from his jacket before loading a small, silver bullet into its clip. "Hey, take the wheels." Said Kyousuke suddenly. He turned to Issumi beside him and gave her a nod.

"Eh? But I don't have a driving license yet…"

"Who gives a damn about one stupid license! If you don't want to drive this goddamn car, how the hell am I gonna shoot those friggin' choppers down?" He shook his head. "Any of you woosies here are brave enough to take the wheels?" Nagi raised her hand.

'"I'm pretty confident that I could do it. I've scored high scores in every racing game I've played."

"That'll do." Kyousuke shifted a bit to give her some room to move forward, but the trio pulled Nagi down.

"Are you nuts! I'm not going to put my life in the hands of someone who had learned to drive from some racing game! Besides, her feet are way too short. There's no way that she could reach the pedals."

"Hey! Are you calling me short!" Nagi yelled angrily. She had always been very sensitive when someone's speaking about her height. Miki however, ignored her.

"Kyousuke, I think it would be better if you let Hinagiku-san drive. She's our best hope."

"Eh? B-but I don't know how to drive a car…" refused Hinagiku but Kyousuke realised that the helicopters are nearing. They are running out of time. Using his weapon, Kyousuke smashed the sunroof above him before climbing up, leaving the car driverless. The car drifted to the side of the road, but Hinagiku managed to grab the steering wheel just in time and took the driver's seat. "ARE YOU CRAZY!" Shouted the surprised girl. Kyousuke peered into the car.

"Good! Now all you have to do is drive this car straight and try your best not to get us killed!" He turned back to the helicopter and aimed his gun. "One shot from this baby and they're as good as dead." He grinned. With a gentle squeeze on the trigger, the gun was fired. The bullet flew past the first and second helicopter before it hit the pilot of the third helicopter square on his head. The pilot's body limped and his hand fell from the controller, hitting a switch on its way down. The switch caused missiles to be fired at the helicopter in front of it. Its target exploded in brilliant flames before one of its blades, propelled by the explosion hit the last helicopter, causing it to come crashing down at the road below.

Kyousuke smiled at himself for the success. He then peered into the car one again and pointed at a road in front of them. "There's gonna be a small route in less than 5oo metres. Turn left into that route. The villa's straight ahead." He then stood up again but he felt a tug his jacket. He looked down and saw Nagi looking at him worriedly.

"H-hey, where are you going?"

"I'm just going to tie some loose ends. Don't worry, mistress, I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." He gave her a smile. Nagi suddenly blushed. She quickly turned away.

"W-w-well…make sure you do that. You promised." She loosened her grasp at the boy's jacket before he jumped onto other cars and went on his way.

"Wow…your butler's so cool…"

* * *

Ten minutes later, they finally saw the tall gateway to the villa. They felt very happy, as they knew that they would be safe there. Hinagiku drove the car into the compound of the villa smoothly and parked it perfectly. Hinagiku let out a deep sigh, feeling grateful that they managed to get out of the situation with their lives. All of them praised her for bringing them safely back. She smiled and walked with them back into the villa. Hinagiku managed to take one last look at the car and she realised something odd. Even though the car was fired at so many times, there's not even a single scratch that could be observed on that car. She stared at the car for a while before she shook her head.

"_Nah…what am I thinking? For someone as rich as Hayate, he must've enough money to make his car impregnable from bullets." _She joined the others and entered the villa. However, they were in for another surprise.

"Ah…welcome back. Why are you guys so late? Is there a traffic jam or something?" Said Kyousuke with his usual grin. "Tea, anyone?" Said the boy while showing the tea pot he was holding.

"Eh? Kyousuke? How did…? Weren't you…? Ah, forget it..." They were surprised by the fact that the butler had beaten them to the villa. Although they were curious, exhaustion overwhelmed them. They went straight to bed, too tired to do anything. It was, after all, quite an ordeal they had experienced.

Later that night, they gathered at the games room. The trio was playing a game of poker with Wataru. Things don't look very well for the trio as Wataru kept winning round after rounds. As for Nagi, she was watching the television, changing the channels every few seconds. The rest of them sat in a circle and discussed about what had happened earlier today. Moments later, Kyousuke entered the room with their dinner. All of them suddenly stopped what they were doing (with the exception of Nagi) and looked at him.

"Alright, alright! I understand. *sigh* Those people, the one who attacked us were from the Giovanni Familia. They're one of the most dangerous Mafia family in Italy. They're so powerful, their influence extended beyond the boundary of their country. They are well-known in the underworld as one of the largest drug supplier in the world."

"How did you know about that?"

"Well…let's just say that I have friends who know about this kind of stuff."

"What about the weapons you used before? Where did you get them?" Asked Wataru from the table. "Yeah, don't you need to have a license for them?" Saki added.

"*laugh* License? Hah! I don't need it. I used to be working under the CIA, MI6 and KGB, just to name a few before I became a butler under the Sanzenins." They looked at him sceptically for a while before Nagi called for them.

"Hey guys, check this out!" She increased the volume of the television. The rest of them gathered in front of the 98 inch, flat screen television. It displayed a reporter standing in front of a mansion engulfed in flame.

"…according to an eye-witness account, the explosion happened at the Giovanni Familia manor around 4 p.m. The explosion killed at least 26 people including the head of the family himself and the other members of the family. The police had classified this case as an accident due to the evidences found pointing towards a gas leakage as the cause of the explosion. The Giovanni Familia has long been associated with…" Kyousuke suddenly pulled out the electrical socket, causing the TV to be turned off.

"You guys shouldn't watch these kinds of things. You're too young for that."

"Did you do that, Kyousuke?" Nagi referred to the news.

"What are you talking about mistress? I don't have anything to do with that." He said with an obviously faked smile.

"…What are you, Kyousuke?"

"I am one hell of a butler." (2)

"That's not funny at all!." Sakuya took out a paper fan before hitting Kyousuke with it. The boy shifted behind a little, missing the girl's hit and caused the girl to fall directly into a plate of pie (in)conveniently placed there. She stood up again, wiped the pie off her face before she shook Kyousuke's hand. "You now have my blessings to be Nagi's butler." Said Sakuya with a smile.

"Wait a minute…" Kyousuke counted the number of people in front of him. "There're only ten of us…who's missing?"

"Hey, Issumi's not here!" Nagi suddenly said. "Don't tell me she lost her way again?"

"Oh shit…you guys stay right here. Wait for me until I'm back. Don't go anywhere." Kyousuke darted towards the door before he ran outside. _"Where the hell are you, you stupid girl!"_

_

* * *

_"_So this is the source of the malevolent aura…"_ Issumi stood before a huge mansion. Although the mansion was very beautiful, the dark night had created a very eerie and spooky atmosphere. It was more than enough to make anyone to avoid the place. Issumi pushed the main door leading into the house before peering inside.

The interior of the house was dark and looked a lot like an ancient castle, with lots and lots of painting adorning the walls and suits of armour every few feet placed at the side of the paths. After making sure that there's no one inside, Issumi paced her way into the house carefully. As if driven by something, Issumi walked down a hallway before stopping in front of a huge, embellished door. She knew whatever the source of the aura was; it is behind the heavy wooden door. With a gulp, she slowly pushed the door.

She realised that she was standing inside a very large hall. The hall was fairly empty. The only thing there was only a very large chandelier hung from the roof of the room. As she was about to leave the place, she suddenly noticed a strange sparkle from the far end of the room. She narrowed her eyes to see the object clearer before she realised what it was.

"_T-t-that's…!"_

* * *

(1) Patisserie: A french bakey shop that specialises in pastries and sweets.

(2) "I am one hell of a butler.": When translated into English, this could also be translated into "I'm a butler and a demon" This is actually a parody from Kuroshitsuji, by Sebastian Michaelis.

I've deliberately made this chapter extra long (nearly 6000 words) since I won't be able to update the next chapter and the future ones as frequently as I used to because I'd be really busy with school next year. Don't forget to review the story kay~?. Happy new year and hope that you guys would have a great year ahead of you!

PEACE OUT!


	11. Chapter 11: Athena Tennousu

**_~Reviewers' Corner~_**

**Rialga: **That's a good suggestion. I'll consider to make a chapter for that.

**animelover: **I'll only make more fanfic if I ever finish this one. The idea did crossed my mind, but I just don't have the time to write it out. :P

**Chino23: **Oh, he'll be back soon enough. ^^

**SyukriTheFury13**: Of course I could, Alex. XD

**LoveXOfXHate**: Arigato gozaimasu~!

I'm terribly sorry for the late update. I'm officially a high school student now and everything that comes with it. I'm overstuffed with all those homework, studies not to mention several other responsibilities...:P So...forgive me for not publishing this chapter earlier and making you guys wait.

Clarissa: Stop making the readers wait and go on with the story.

Author**: **Hey! You're not supposed to be in this story yet! *ahem* Anyway, enjoy!

Clarissa: Nano desu~

* * *

Chapter 11_: Athena Tennousu_

Right before her eyes, an absurdly huge crystal floated in mid-air without any support whatsoever. It was at least 8 metres in height and the cerulean crystal emanated strange, eerie glow from deep within. Issumi paced towards the object slowly, trying to figure exactly what that thing is. As she came closer to the object, fear suddenly struck her.

"Who are you?" A single voice called. In surprise, Issumi turned back and faced the speaker. A lady, probably around her age was standing on a raised floor behind her.

Reed thin, she was as delicate as a prima ballerina combined with the aura of a majestic queen. She wore an elegantly tailored black dress made from the finest cloth. Her hair was coiled into two lovely twists at her sides and its light colour sets off her deep crimson eyes and the purest, whitest skin. Anyone who was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to set eyes upon her would swear that she is _the_ most exquisitely beautiful woman that they would ever set their eyes on.

"Who are you?" The girl repeated her question.

"I'm just…someone passing by." Answered Issumi, looking directly at the girl. The visage, the pose, the poise…it looked very familiar to her somehow.

"Oh really?" Returned the blonde misanthropically. She then walked down the stairs with such grace, that it might appeared that her feet didn't touch the ground at all. "Please leave. This is private property and you are trespassing." Both of them looked into each others' eyes for a moment before Issumi bowed down slightly, apologised to the girl for the intrusion and turned to the door. A few metres before she reached the door, she paused.

"Before I leave, would you grant me a question?"

"And what might that be?" The blonde asked in return.

"By what purpose…are you using the Royal Jewel for?" Issumi turned to face the girl.

A faint smile emerged on the girl's lips and Issumi knew that all hell was going to break loose. In one fluid motion, she pulled out a charm from her sleeve and conjured up a barrier. Although unseen by naked eyes, powerful waves originating from the girl was being deterred by Issumi's barrier. If only Issumi had been late for even a split of a second, the waves would have cut through her like butter being sliced by hot knife. Once the blast was repelled, Issumi looked at the charm, or at least the remains of it. It has been almost burnt into cinder, hinting her how powerful the blow was.

"Hmm…interesting. This is the first time anyone had ever deflected my move." The girl smiled. This person might just be the one who could rival up to her. "Would you at least tell me your name?"

"Issumi…Issumi Saginomiya."

"Saginomiya-san, if only we had met each other in entirely different circumstances, I'm sure things would turn out differently. But now, since you knew about the Royal Jewel, I would have no other choice but to end your life." Upon hearing that, Issumi braced herself for the next wave. Suddenly, the door behind them exploded. Both of them turned to the door. From behind the shroud of smoke and dust, a figure emerged.

"ISSUMI! Do you know how worried we were? You really…whoa…" Paused the boy as he saw the young lady. "Who's the girl with the cow udders?" Said Kyousuke with his eyes pinned on her cleavage.

"Excuse me? What did you called me just now?" Although she was smiling, upon closer inspection, one could see veins bulging at her temple. "How dare you… barging into someone's house and calling me that." Kyousuke was about to reply to her words, but Nagi entered the scene.

"Oi, Kyousuke! When I tell you to get the door open, I mean with your hands, not by blowing it up!" She shook her head. "Oh, good. There you are Issumi. Let's go now." She turned to the door to leave the place. Nagi stopped, realising that neither Issumi nor Kyousuke were following her. Instead, both of them were just staring at her in surprise.

"Mistress…what's that on your chest?"

"Eh…? KYOUSUKE, YOU PERVERT!" Shouted Nagi while putting her hands across her chest. Her cheeks began to turn scarlet.

"I wasn't talking about that!" He defended. _"It's not like yours is that obvious in the first place…"_

"What is that shining thing?" Asked Issumi. In response to that, Nagi looked down and saw an object shining brightly from under her nightdress.

"It can't be…one of the original Royal Jewels…" The calm expression that the blonde had suddenly turned to horrified. "GIVE IT TO ME!"

"Eh? Tennousu-san? What are you do…"

"WATCH OUT!" Cried Kyousuke. He bolted towards Nagi and pulled her away. Before both of them could even fall to the ground, a hail of swords appeared out of nowhere and embedded itself right where Nagi was a moment ago. He stood up again and faced the attacker. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU WOMAN? You could've killed her just now!" The lady didn't respond. Instead, she flicked her fingers and the same thing happened again. Kyousuke had to pull Nagi to safety before he took out his gun and fired at the blonde. Surprisingly, the bullet floated a few inches before the girl for a moment before it drops, as if losing its momentum. In response to that, he opened fire at the girl, but his bullets were stopped by unseen force. It kept falling down to the floor before it could even got close to her.

"I guess we just have to do this the old fashioned way." He grabbed one of the swords and lunged towards her. Suddenly, his blade crossed with another one belonged to a boy. He pushed Kyousuke away and stood in front of the girl, acting as her barrier. "As long as I'm here, you won't be able to lay even a finger at my mistress." The boy declared before he dashed for Kyousuke. Kyousuke had no other choice but to defend himself.

His opponent tried to land a blow at him, but Kyousuke managed to get himself out of the way just in time. Even though the attack missed, the shock wave generated from the blow was powerful enough to cause him to skid a few metres back. _"Damn…he's strong." _Cursed Kyousuke inwardly. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Nagi taking a cover behind Issumi who was desperately trying to defend herself from the relentless attacks. _"How the hell am I gonna protect the two of them when I'm in a tight situation myself?" _He looked back at his opponent. Even though it was one heck of a fight they had just now, his breathing was still stable, not the very least tired at all. Kyousuke realised they are in a really bad situation right now. Although he knew he could defend himself without any problem, the same doesn't apply to Issumi and Nagi. They could be beaten in any minute now. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind.

Kyousuke lifted his weapon and charged towards the boy. He took his stance, ready to counter any attack that Kyousuke might throw at him. Unexpectedly, Kyousuke suddenly jumped over the boy and headed directly for the blonde, who was totally unaware of his presence. Just when he was about to reach the girl, a soft, tentacle-like limb wrapped itself around his belly and threw him away from the girl. Kyousuke somersaulted backwards and landed right in front of Issumi. Lifting his head, Kyousuke was shocked by what he saw. A giant serpent, the biggest one he had ever seen in his life, coiled itself around the blonde. It slithered around slowly, keeping its eyes on them. He instantly knew that he had underestimated his enemy.

"_Heh…it's been a while since I've last had a fight like this." _He picked up the sword and readies himself to launch another attack at the enemy. But before he could even move a muscle, he was tugged from behind and his vision turned dark.

* * *

"Ugh…dammit…did they got me?" Kyousuke opened his eyes. It was blurry for a moment before it became clear. He stood up and realised that he was no longer at the mansion. Instead, he was standing at a long stretch of road and was lined by tall by conifers. He blinked for a few times in confusion before it became clear to him that this is the route heading towards the villa. It was very dark and he could barely see anything.

A faint rustling sound was heard behind and he turned. Kyousuke narrowed his eyes and could see a figure under a tree. When his eyes have adjusted to the darkness, he realised that the figure was actually Nagi. She was cowering under the tree, trembling in fear. He came closer to the girl.

"W-who's there?"

"It's me, ojou-sama." Nagi suddenly leaped forward and hugged him. Kyousuke was taken aback by his mistress sudden reaction and he almost fell down. Luckily, he managed to support himself by holding on a branch. "What's the matter ojou-sama?"

"D-don't leave me alone next time…i-it's too dark here…" Her eyes were moist and she shivered a bit.

"Okay…I won't. Please don't cry…"

"HEY! I'm not crying! Who said I was!" She pushed Kyousuke away and secretly wiped her eyes. "I'm not afraid of the dark. I'm not. I-it's just that…there's some dust in my eyes."

"I never said you were. Anyway, we have to find…oh, speak of the devil, there she is." Issumi appeared behind a tree, looking a little pale. She walked a few wobbly steps forwards before she suddenly fell down. Both Kyousuke and Nagi rushed towards her. The first thing they noticed about her was her hair. It was white.

"What's wrong with her hair?" Nagi queried.

"Nagi…could you please come closer to me?" Requested Issumi. As soon as Nagi got within Issumi's reach, she slapped a charm onto her forehead. The young Sanzenin suddenly lost her consciousness and fell down. "I'm sorry, Nagi..." Spoke Issumi slowly before trying to stand up again. But that proved to be too hard for her. She fell down again and sighed.

"Why did you do that to her?"

"I can't let her know anything about my powers. Now, would you mind helping me up?" She then realised that Kyousuke was staring at her hairs. "Don't worry. I just used a little bit too much of my powers. It'll turn back to normal in no time." Kyousuke helped her up and lifted his mistress before they walked back to the villa.

"Alright then…mind telling me about what happened just now?" He turned to his side and found out that Issumi had fainted. "Oh come on! Don't expect that I'll help you up this time. I'm leaving you here Issumi!" Kyousuke walked a few steps away. "I'm leaving you behind!" He repeated. Turning back once again, he saw the limped body lying motionlessly on the ground. Sighing, he lifted the girl up and carried her on his back. _"She's really heavy for someone her size…"_

After a few minutes of cursing, walking and more cursing, they finally reached the villa. As soon as he entered the house, he was surrounded by the others who were keen to know about the two people Kyousuke's carrying.

"What happened to her? Was she involved in an accident or something?" Asked Wataru, looking at Issumi worriedly.

"Nah…don't worry. The two of them are just sleeping. Now, if you would excuse me, I'd have to put them at their rooms now. You guys should go to sleep too. It's getting very late. Goodnight." He pushed himself from them and left for the bedroom.

Kyousuke placed Issumi on her bed first before he went to Nagi's and tucked her in. He looked down at girl and strokes her hair. A very weird feeling suddenly crept inside him and he suddenly couldn't help himself but to let out a smile. Although Nagi could be a real pain sometimes, she looked very cute when she's sleeping like this. Almost like being jolted by something, he pulled his hand back and gave himself a mental slap. _"Damn, don't tell me you're getting soft like Ayasaki? Get a grip on yourself Mikhailov!"_ Kyousuke walked to the other end of the room and sat on a chair placed there. He stared blankly at the young heiress, recalling what happened back then. His head filled with questions.

Who was that blonde? How does she know about the Royal Jewels? Who or what was that boy? Kyousuke sighed. Everything is getting way too complicated right now.

Letting a sigh out once again, took out a small pocket watch from the breast pocket of his coat and stared at it, as if he was trying to make a tough decision. Finally, he clicked the watch open and turned the outer rim of the watch a few times before it let out a faint beep. A holographic display of a silhouetted man appeared before him.

"Target confirmed."

* * *

Chiharu walked down the long hallways of the villa with a long face. Everyone was having such a great time…except for her. To her left, in the courtyard, Saki was enjoying the scent of the many flowers planted there such as the jasmine, gardenia, oriental lily and many more while Wataru were telling Issumi about how he defeated the Peace Walking. It reminded her about her childhood…the time when there was no paperwork, no homework and not a thing in the world that would trouble her. Turning to her right, Nagi was still in her bed…sleeping soundly. Chiharu knew very well that it would be a really bad idea to wake her up this 'early'. As for the three members of the student council, they're already out on a shopping spree in the nearby city. Hinagiku Katsura on the other hand, decided to practice her kendo at a vacant room she had found, conveniently equipped with all sorts of kendo stuff. She always thinks that her skills have deteriorated albeit all the people telling her that she could beat even a Kendo Master. The butler of the Sanzenin however, was nowhere to be seen.

Chiharu finally arrived at the dining room, the only place throughout the mansion with a table large enough where she could put the documents on that were sent from Japan before she would examine each and every one of them. Pulling a chair out, she sat down and looked at all the documents, thinking how impossible it would be for her to finish reading through all of it. But as the secretary of student council, it is her responsibility to get the job done…somehow.

She flicked through the documents, sorting them out according to their level of urgency and importance. The first stack, she mumbled to herself, is for the reports regarding the monthly expenditure of the school, which includes the bills, maintenance and the staffs' salary. The second is for the activities which will be carried out throughout the year. These documents will be delivered to Hinagiku for her approval. And lastly, the third pile is comprised of miscellaneous things such as teacher's complaints, security issues, and other minor paperwork.

Chiharu stretched her hands upwards and let out a yawn. Looking at her wristwatch, she decided to go out and take a breather for a bit. She stood up and turned towards the door. It was then she realised that there was a small, blue-coloured paper under her chair. She picked it up and took a look at it. _"Oh, it's just about the class rep…nothing to be bothered about." _Chiharu slipped the paper into the third stack and went to the kitchen, wanting to lend a hand to Kyousuke with their breakfast. In converse to what she had in her mind, there was no one there. Obviously they would have to cook by themselves if the butler didn't return soon. The girl went over to the refrigerator and made herself some sandwiches and headed back to the hall. Once she got there, she saw Nagi with her still-asleep-look on her face. She looks like she was expecting to be served by the butler, but after a while, no one came to do so.

"Where's that butler…Kyousuke! Where's my breakfast?" She hollered angrily. Chiharu paid no attention to the girl and continued her work. It was only after a while before both of them heard a singing voice coming closer to them. She listened closely to it and turned to the entrance.

"Like Frankie said 'I did it my way'…" The door was opened and Kyousuke entered the room with his ears were plugged with earphones, his eyes shut. He was drumming in the air, totally entranced by the music. Nagi became angrier by the moment seeing her incompetent butler enjoying himself while she had to wait for her meal. "HEY! Take off that earphone and get back to work!" Roared Nagi. The boy however, displayed no reaction whatsoever. Instead he continued singing.

"…'Cause it's, my, LIFE!" He removed the device from his ears and realised that Nagi was glaring at him. "I'm sorry, did you said something, ojou-sama?" Asked the butler with his usual grin. "Oh right, your breakfast. Would you settle on some canned beans? I'm not in the mood for cooking today…" Kyousuke noticed the death glare being shot at him. He quickly made an exit to the kitchen. Just around the same time, the three student council member entered the room and placed their stuff beside their seats and laughed at a prank they did to a man.

"Oh man, I can't believe he fell for that." Said Izumi with a giggle. "Yeah, the look on his face when he realised that his fake hair was gone…priceless." The three of them burst into laughter. Chiharu stared angrily at the three. First she had to listen to Nagi's rants, and now the trio? If this keeps up, she'll surely lose her focus.

"Hey, what are you doing, Chiharu?" Asked the young president. She wiped her forehead and gave Chiharu a smile. "Good morning, Katsura-san. These are just some documents they've sent from Japan. Some of them would need your attention, but I haven't finished going through them yet."

"Mattaku…they sent this stuff to us even when we're in a holiday?" Hinagiku shook her head and let out a sigh. "Thanks for your hard work, Chiharu. I don't know what would happen if I didn't have you by my side…" Hinagiku turned her sight to the student council trio, who were chatting merrily with each other. Although they were a part of the student council who were supposed to run the school, it seems like none of them were even doing any of their jobs.

"It would be my pleasure to work with you, Katsura-san." Replied Chiharu with her usual, formal tone.

Chiharu Harukaze had always looked up to her. Although she is just 16, Hinagiku had been given one of the highest positions in the school, the Hakuo Academy student council president. Usually, this high-ranking place would be reserved to more senior students, as it requires someone with a high sense of responsibility to make them worthy of the seat. But Hinagiku, without even using her sister's influence as a teacher at the academy, had captivated every teacher in the school with her charisma and reliability. She is a perfectionist, who ensures every task given to her would be completed efficiently and with excellent result. No matter what you throw at her, she would tackle it calmly. An all-rounded student, she's always on top of the list in academics, while in sports; she could beat almost anyone in almost any field. She is what you would call a natural-born leader. And so, as soon she entered her second year at the academy, she was promoted into the office by all the teachers who supported her. All of that, combined altogether, makes her the most popular girl in school.

"You can just call me by my name, Chiharu…" She said with a chuckle. "…what is that?" Hinagiku pointed to the paper. It caught her attention because unlike the other documents printed on white papers; this one was printed in blue. Chiharu handed the document to her and she began to read it. "Ah, about the class rep. Nothing much…" She suddenly paused. "…hmm, interesting. It's about the Elite Class."

"What about the Elite Class?" Kyousuke suddenly appeared between them, asking the question. "What's this Elite Class you're talking about?"

"Seriously? You don't know about it?"

"Yup. Not a clue."

"The Elite Class is basically for over-achieving students," Chiharu began. "It was established for students with a higher IQ levels than the normal students like us…"

"So you're saying that you guys are dumb?" Kyousuke interrupted. The two girls stared angrily at him. "Just kidding, just kidding. Go on…"

"It doesn't matter how rich or powerful you are, but as long as you haven't reached the required qualifications, there's no way you'll ever be in that class. The qualifications needed for one to enter the class are also very strict. They say you'd have to score at least an average of 99% in every exam, knows at least 15 languages, survive through a minefield and should at least endure military-like training. And that would only let you into the top 100 candidates list. There'll be even more evaluations after that to make the list shorter. Even someone as perfect as Hinagiku-san here couldn't be in the list. To put it simply, you'll have to be absolutely faultless to be in the class." Chiharu sipped her drink.

"_Sounds pretty much the same as my old school…" _Kyousuke contemplated.

"EEH?" Hinagiku suddenly shrieked. "What's the matter Hinagiku-san?" Asked Chiharu in concern. Hinagiku lifted her face from the paper. "A-a-ano…do you know who's the current head of the Elite Class?" The pink-haired girl directed the question to her secretary. "If I'm not mistaken…Athena Tennousu-san is. Why?"

"_Tennousu? Why does that name sounds very familiar?"_

"Look at this..." Said Hinagiku as she handed the document to Chiharu. She took the document from Hinagiku and began reading it. "It's about the class rep exchange, signed by the head of the Elite Class…huh? WHAT?". No matter how many times she looked at it, the name written there doesn't change. Hayate Ayasaki. That is what was written on the document.

"Hmm? I thought you already knew this?" Said Kyousuke as he saw what they were talking about.

"Of course not. How could I?" Hinagiku replied, before her suspicion arouse. "Wait a minute, you are hiding something from me, aren't you?"

In response to that, Kyousuke opened his mouth, ready to answer the question, but Nagi's calling had saved him from doing so. "Oi, Kyousuke! What's taking you so long?" The boy gave Hinagiku and Chiharu a slight bow. "I'm sorry, but I have to attend to my ojou-sama. Please excuse me." The butler left the two girls who averted their attention to the paper, discussing the matter beforehand.

"Ah, here you go ojou-sama. For today, I've prepared some Draniki, a homemade Russian meal. Usually you'd pour some sour cream on it, but since it might not suit the Japanese palate, I've prepared some ketchup instead. Please, tell me by any means if it's good." He placed the plate in front of Nagi and stood by her side with his hands crossed on his back. Nagi stared down at the food. To her, it was just a plate with round bread that resembles the texture of dorayaki. "I can't eat something cheap like this." Refused Nagi as she pushed the plate away. Kyousuke leaned towards Nagi and said very slowly so that only Nagi could hear him. "That's a shame. Guess everyone will know about a certain someone's fear of the dark." Nagi shot a murderous glare at him but the boy's expression remains the same. It turned into a staring contest between the two, but the girl conceded and let out a sigh. She picked up the pancake and held it up. "Alright…you win. But I'll only eat one bite." With that, she took a small bite at the round bread.

The surface looked crispy, but it had the texture similar to hash browns. The simple taste of main potato dish, combined with the sweetness of the minced meat and eggs brought depth to the flavour. The thin coating of the dreadful garlic on the surface became an accent, and there, the sweet and sour taste of the ketchup became the best topping. Nagi went blank for a moment before she started to munch her way to finish the bread silently. Kyousuke let out a smile. "I guess that's a thumb's up then." He went to the kitchen and came back pushing a trolley with more of the pancakes on it.

"What's the matter, Issumi-san? Are you sick?" The girl in kimono shook her head and tugged on his sleeve. Kyousuke bent down to the girl. "Kyousuke-kun…can I talk to you in private for a while? There's something important I need to ask you about…"

"Okay…let's go out and we'll talk about this." He then led their way out from the hall and leaned against the wall. "So, what's the deal with you now, Issumi?"

"Kyousuke-kun, I really need your help. Could you please come with me and go to the…"

"No." Answered Kyousuke bluntly. "You were going to ask me to accompany you to the blonde's house right? My answer remains. NO."

"B-but the world may be in serious danger…" Issumi failed to finish her sentence because once again, the boy had interrupted her. "To hell with the world." Issumi dropped her head and looked down in defeat. "Oh…o-okay than…I shouldn't force you to do something as dangerous as this. I'll go by myself to face her tonight…" Issumi turned and headed towards the door. Hearing what Issumi had just said, his brain suddenly went into high gear.

"_Wait…did she said doing something dangerous and by herself? Considering the fact that she's Nagi's best friend and I'm in charge of all of them, I'm gonna be in one hell of a trouble if anything bad happens to her. Damn, so much for my plan to take Ayasaki's Veyron out for a spin tonight…" _ He sighed and slammed the door shut. Issumi winced from the sudden action and turned her looks to Kyousuke again. "Alright Issumi. I changed my mind. Tell me what this is about and it better be good."

"O-okay. Did you see the large crystal floating in the mansion yesterday?" Kyousuke nodded his head. "The crystal is called 'Royal Jewel'. I've learnt about this when I was doing some studies at my great-great-grandmother Ginka's library. According to the legend, if one managed to gather all seven of them, he would be granted a passage to the Royal Garden. That place, the Royal Garden, is said to be a place where one could achieve the power similar to god." Issumi paused, looking disturbed at this time. "But Tennousu-san did something gravely dangerous. The original Royal Jewels are actually a lot smaller than the one we've seen before. Tennousu-san must have made a duplicate from the original and tried to open the path to the Royal Garden. If someone tries to open the path forcefully, beings from the other world would materialise in our world, causing chaos and havoc."

"Beings like what?"

"I don't know. The rest of the scroll was burnt in a fire a long time ago."

"I see…" The Sanzenin butler shook his head. The matter is much simpler than he had anticipated. "In that case, I believe all of our problem could be solved with just a call." Kyousuke then took out a cell phone and dialled a number.

"Hmm? How can a call solve this?"

"You said that the path could only be opened if you have the jewel, right? In that case, we'll just have to destroy it."

"How?" At that moment Issumi was getting more and more suspicious of this so called 'simple call'. Moments later, the call was answered.

"General Skywalker here."

"I have a target at these coordinates. 38°22'10.17''N, 16°18'41.03''E. Requesting a black flag."

"I'm sorry, but that's a no-go. The coordinates you have given are located at friendly territories. We do not have the authori…"

"Don't give me that shit!" Hollered Kyousuke to the phone. "Standby to copy the authorisation codes. I send: 'Zulu Delta, One Niner Seven, Whiskey X-Ray'."

"I copy: 'Zulu Delta, One Niner Seven, Whiskey X-Ray'. Standby for confirmation." The man's voice was replaced by the noise of multiple keyboard keys being tapped. "Presidential-level approval code authenticated. ETA for W-18, twenty-three minutes, five seconds. You are advised to keep clear from the target zone."

"Roger that. Over and out." Kyousuke ended the call and turned off the phone. "Alright…it's done. All we have to do now is to get the hell out of here."

"Why?"

"Because W-18 is the codename for the Tomahawk missile. Unless you want to be fried with the rest of the city, I'd suggest for us to leave this town." Issumi stared at Kyousuke in disbelief. She thought she just heard Kyousuke saying that there's going to be a missile heading to their location. Kyousuke noticed the stare and closed the distance between her eyes and him. "Do I really look like I'm joking?" Issumi nearly flustered from having a boy looking so closely at her. She quickly turned her face away. "Come on. I don't want that Ayasaki to bitch on me if you guys died in the attack."

"W-w-wait! If you do that, innocent people will die! Isn't there any way else we can solve this?"

"In that case, I'll ask for a T*E fighter to launch a surgical strike. That'll inflict the least damage to the civilian..."

"NO! Tennousu-san mustn't be killed! We must find out why Tennousu-san would be doing something like that. There's no reason for her to open the gateway…" Issumi paused for a while, thinking about the possible reasons the young lady would want to do so. "Anyway, I'd need you to come with me to her place. She would almost certainly be guarded by that white-haired boy…snake. I believe he's one of the beings that were summoned here by the stone. There's no way I could defeat both of them at once, so I'd need your help to distract him while I'll figure out how to stop Tennousu-san."

"Distraction eh? That's easy. When are we going to do this?" Kyousuke secretly wished that Issumi wouldn't say…

"We'll go tonight. The longer we wait, the higher the possibility that things would go worse." Kyousuke cursed and let out another sigh. "But still…what are we going to tell the others?" Asked Issumi worriedly. If they found about something as 'interesting' as this, surely they (especially the student council trio) would want to tag along, not believing a single word she said about how dangerous it would be.

"That's a piece of cake. Leave that to me. Wait for me in front of the villa before 9 pm."

"Eh? What do you have in mind?" Asked Issumi but Kyousuke had already left her and went straight to the kitchen.

* * *

Issumi stood outside the villa in her usual kimono. Her watch displayed the time, 8.54 pm. Anytime now. Although she was trying her best, she couldn't hide her anxiety as easily as she thought she could. This is the first time, the very first time she had to struggle just to be on par with her opponent. She had fought countless Yōkai, evil spirits and everything in between ever since she was little. None of them had ever posed any real challenge to her. It had given her confidence that she was the best of the best, unsurpassed by anyone, until that day. The day, when she was easily defeated by someone else. She kept reminding herself 'never show any weakness to your enemy', but every time she remembered about the encounter, Issumi couldn't help but to tremble a bit.

"Hey, let's go." Kyousuke's voice startled her. She turned around and saw Kyousuke closing the door behind them. Issumi then followed the boy to the main gate.

"Where do you think you're going?" Shouted a female voice.

Emerging from the darkness, stood a pink-haired girl gazing down scornfully on them. "I knew I was right about you from the start. What did you do to them?" Kyousuke ignored her question. Instead, he replied to her with another question.

"How could you not fall asleep like the others?" Asked Kyousuke curiously. He had put a lot of sleeping powder into the soup. There is no way that anyone could even open their eyes after eating his cooking.

"I bought some bread and a few cans of drinks when we were at the Acropolis." Hinagiku showed them a can of coffee. "I knew that it's just a matter of time before you would poison all of us. Now tell me, are you planning to kidnap Issumi-san now?"

"Kidnap her? Please…she's not worth all the trouble."

"Hey!" Protested Issumi but she went unheard.

"Anyway, if I really wanted to kidnap her, I'd leave no witnesses. And so…" Kyousuke drew a gun from his coat. "…turn back. Forget about all of this and no one would have to die tonight."

"Wait, Kyousuke-kun." Issumi pulled his gun down. "Hinagiku-san, would you like to join us? We could use an extra hand."

"Hey, this is not a picnic at beach you know. Who's going to be responsible if anything happens to her?"

"Don't worry Kyousuke-kun. Hinagiku-san is a great fighter. I'm sure that she could be a lot of help for you there." She then turned to Hinagiku and pulls something out from the long sleeve of her kimono. "You would need some kind of weapon there. This is the Bokken Masamune, a treasure passed down from generation to generation in the Saginomiya family. I believe you could make good use out of it." Issumi passed the wooden sword to Hinagiku.

"A wooden sword?" Mocked the Sanzenin butler. Hinagiku on the other hand, examined the sword. It weighs pretty much the same as her kendo sword. "Well…I guess I can use this. But why would I need a weapon? Where exactly are we going?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell you on the way." Said Issumi as she led the way.

* * *

FINALLY! I've been storing this chapter for a long time now, just waiting for the chance to upload it. Oh, before I end this chapter, I would like to ask anyone who's reading my story to be my beta reader. I'm really terrible at describing things... Guess that's what making my story a bit sloppy. Don't forget to review and stay tuned!


	12. Chapter 12: The confrontation I

**_~Reviewers' Corner~_**

**animelover, Rialga, LoveXOfXHate, Ryu Flemming: **Thanks for the comments. You really made my day :-D

**Chino23 ****& MysteryOfOrigin: ****: **Didn't realise that before... I really appreciate the info.

**ekim**** & D-Generation XX****: **Ouch...I'll think of something to resolve the problem. About the 'stealing the spotlight' problem, the reason I dismissed Hayate for a while is because I believe that people would become bored if the story focuses ONLY on Hayate, and not other characters. Yeah, your suggestion helps a lot. BTW, ekim, are you Syukri's friend?

**Zer0Faith: **Hmm...I think I can do something about that.

This update is a bit late (as usual) because I had to revise the entire story. Yeah, I agree that Kyousuke and Hayate are becoming more and more Gary Stu-like. I'll do my best to avoid that. One more thing, do expect some huge improvements in the language & grammatical department because starting from this chapter, Linktriforce007-san would be beta reading my story (Arigatou~!).

Hayate: Author-sama...when's my screen time? The readers are looking out for me...

Author: Urusai, Hayate no baka! I'm the author and I know what I'm doing.

Hayate: That's not fair *sulks* I'm the main character of the story...

* * *

Chapter 12_: The Confrontation I  
_

"Alright then, let me get this straight. You're saying that Tennousu-san might be possessed by some demon. So now, both you and Kyousuke-kun are going there to exorcise it. Did I get that right?" Hinagiku questioned the young Saginomiya, who in turn, nodded in response. Although it was hard for her to believe, she decided to play along with their game. "And what about this wooden sword?"

"Like I said before, it's called the Bokken Masamune. It enhances one's hidden combat skills." Once again, Hinagiku looked at the sword. It was about 120 cm and pretty much the same as the one she used to practice with at school. She slashed laterally a few times, but observed no difference in her skills whatsoever.

"If you girls are done chit-chatting, can we please go into the goddamn house?" Kyousuke interrupted Hinagiku before she could ask another question. He shook his head and entered the mansion. A pointless conversation like this is highly inefficient and time wasting when there are jobs that need to be done.

The three walked into the atrium, their sounds of footsteps resonated in the spacious area. Huge paintings adorned the walls, suits of medieval armour guarded the shadowy hallways and not even a dust was out of place. Everything was perfectly the same as before. "I thought they would add some security to this place. Guess I was wrong." Kyousuke shrugged. He turned to a door and reached out for the knobs. "Kyousuke-kun, that's the wrong door." Isumi informed him. She could clearly remember that the door they entered yesterday was a heavy double-door, not a simple one like this.

"I know what I'm do- Hey! Watch where you're going." Grunted Kyousuke when he bumped into something as he entered the door. Kyousuke looked up to the person whom he had bumped into. Much to his surprise, the 'person' he bumped into was actually a five-metre tall bull-headed monster. "Oh crap…" In an instant, a huge club came down on Kyousuke throwing him to the adjacent wall. Isumi froze out of surprise, but luckily, Hinagiku had her covered.

Instinctively, Hinagiku tightened her grip on the wooden sword and lunged forward. She used Kyousuke's limped body as leverage and performed a 360˚ somersault before striking the wooden sword right on the beast's head and continued down, splitting the monster into half. Before her feet could even reach to the ground, the monster dissipated as black dust into thin air. All of this happened in less than a fraction of a second.

Hinagiku was dumbfounded. There was a strange sensation she felt just a moment before her body moved on its own; as if it was controlled by the sword. Hinagiku looked at the sword and saw a faint purplish glow coming from it. Her body felt very light at that moment, the kind of feeling one would have when someone had removed a burden from oneself. The feeling however, didn't last very long. It disappeared as soon as the glow faded. Her mind immediately recalled what Isumi said to her just now. _"So they were telling the truth?"_

"Damn that monster," groaned Kyousuke. He stood up slowly and rubbed his left torso. "Ouch that smarts…"

"A-are you alright, Kyousuke-kun?" Isumi came forward and took out one of her charms. "Let me heal you." She was pushed aside by Kyousuke when she offered her help.

"I'm fine! I don't need that hocus pocus of yours!" said Kyousuke roughly before he continued to walk down the hallway. The pain of being sucker punched caused him a lot more pain than a few broken bones. Isumi let out a chuckle, carefully hidden behind the sleeve of her kimono. "Well then, please lead the way, bodyguard-san. I'm sure that if you chose another wrong door to enter again, you will take another blow for us."

Kyousuke suddenly stopped. An imaginary spear pierced right through his back. He knew exactly what Isumi meant with those words. "Since you think you're that confident that you'll take the right door, why don't you take the lead instead?" He turned to look at Isumi who lowered her hands and walked past Kyousuke with a straight face.

A few minutes later, they stood before two great doors. As she pushed the two doors simultaneously, Isumi gazed upon Kyousuke to see the look on his face. Instead of a displeased one; having to admit that she was right, both Hinagiku and Kyousuke portrayed the expression of total dreadfulness. "Oh, double crap…" muttered Kyousuke. Isumi averted her gaze into the hall. She finally understood the reason behind their looks.

Although the hall looked awfully similar to the one they entered the last time, there was just this one tiny difference. Instead of an empty hall with a giant crystal at its end, looking down at them were an abundant amount of griffins and centaurs. Isumi quickly pulled out a charm from her sleeve and chanted at such speed that no one could comprehend what she said. Before any of the beasts' hands could grab hold of them, a shield took shape and protected them from harm. "Hmph, so much for choosing the right door," said Kyousuke cynically. Isumi paid no attention to him as she was trying her best to keep the barrier up.

"*Sigh* I'll deal with them." He stuffed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a round object. With his other hand, he searched for anything that resembled a pin, but ended in disappointment. He looked into his palms and discovered that he was holding a red-and-white coloured sphere. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PO**BALL DOING HERE? Where's my grenade?" Kyousuke stuffed his hands into his pockets and fished out a note saying: 'By the master's order, any explosives brought have been confiscated. Enjoy your holiday :-)'.

"Not that useful without your weapons now, aren't you?" Hinagiku smirked.

"Urusai, pinky! Just stay here and watch how pros do their work!" Kyousuke pulled out two Micro-Uzis from his coat and jumped past the barrier, shooting anything in front of him. Angered by the insult, Hinagiku resolved to prove her usefulness to the boy and leaped forward into the battlefield. Isumi on the other hand, stood just there. She was amused by the duo's determination to prove their skills to each other. Finally, she stepped forward and pulled out another charm. Seeing this, the two fighters quickly escaped from the area.

"Eighth Leaf-Takemikazuchi!"

Thousands of lightning struck out of nowhere, wiping out every single demon in the room in just one blow. As soon as the flash disappeared, both Kyousuke and Hinagiku realised that they were standing in an empty hall. "Why did you do that? The fun was just starting…" said Kyousuke in disappointment. Hinagiku, however, was speechless. The Isumi she knew from school was a shy and timid girl, not an all-powerful demon exorcist who could destroy an entire mass of demons. It made her wonder how much she didn't know about the people around her.

"The fact that this many demon has been summoned proves the necessity for us to hasten our move. We must …" She suddenly halted in the middle of her sentence. Both Kyousuke and Hinagiku realised this and quickly turned to their backs. A young white-haired boy stood in the middle of hall with a stern expression on his face.

"A powerful move, but nowhere near my ojou-sama," he remarked.

Hinagiku noticed the sudden change in the air. Although the two people beside her had defeated a horde of demons easily, they were terrified by the mere presence of this single person.

"Both of you leave him to me. Go and find that Tennousu girl," said Kyousuke.

"But if we do that…"

"Just do what I said! Leave him to me. Pinky!" He turned to Hinagiku. "You're in charge of this girl now!"

Hinagiku could barely stop herself from ripping the boy apart, but she knew that this wasn't the time to do so. Reluctantly, she left the place and closed the door behind them. Kyousuke faced his opponent and observed the young man. calmly reloaded his guns. "It's just you and me now. Only one of us is going to leave this room tonight."

"Indeed."

* * *

"Isumi-san, we need to stay close to each other. It'll be easier for them to…" She suddenly paused when she looked to her side. Issumi was no longer walking beside her. "Where in the world could she have gone to? Don't tell me she got lost." Hinagiku looked around. It is a huge mansion. It's not a wonder that anyone could get lost in some place as vast as this, especially for someone who would find herself in Paris on her way to school…in Tokyo.

The student council president continued to wander around the house while trying to look for any signs that might give her a hint where Isumi might have went. Much to her dismay, she founds herself going in circles, walking through the same path over and over again. _"This is hopeless! It's like finding a needle in a haystack…" _

All of a sudden, her ears caught the sound of doors being opened by force. She quickly spun around and found masses of the demons from before coming after her.

_"It's about time. Let's see how far I can go with this bokken."_

* * *

"I wonder if this is the right door…" said Isumi as she turned the two doorknobs. With a faint screeching noise, the door opened inwards, revealing the interior of the room. The first thing that caught her attention was a large, cerulean crystal that floated ominously at the other end of the room. Isumi breathed a sigh of relief. Her relief of finding the right room, however, was only temporary as she noticed the glow that was emanating from the gigantic crystal was pulsating a lot brighter than before. "W-we're too late?"

"Not really. You're just in time to watch the finishing touches," said the young blonde as she descended from the stairs. A slight smile played on her lips, which could almost be interpreted as a cynical one to Isumi. "And what are you doing here? I thought I've told you to leave this place."

"Tennousu-san, do you know what you are trying to do? Do you know how dangerous the consequences of your action will be?" Isumi tried to reason with the girl.

"If that's all you are going to say, then I'd suggest for you to leave. We have nothing to talk about."

"If you insist on furthering your plans, I have no other choice than to stop you." As soon as she finished saying that, thousands of charms flew out from the sleeves of her kimono and formed a barricade enclosing both Athena and the stone. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. When the stone is destroyed, everything will be over. Eighth Leaf-The Four Faces of Takemikazuchi!"

In that instant, the entire area was blinded by thousands of lightning striking the gemstone, all of them at once. Clouds of dust were everywhere. Pillars began to crack and fell down, walls crumbled from the shockwave caused by the impact. Isumi knew that such an attack was overkill, completely unnecessary if all that was required is the destruction of the stone. Although she tried her best to keep the area of impact as small as possible, there's little doubt that anyone would even survive something as violent as that.

"That move of yours was just pathetic." A figure emerged from the midst of chaos. In her left hand she held an orb with sparks coming out of it. "What's the matter? You looked surprised. Could it be that…you have never met anyone stronger than you until now?" Athena clenched her left hand, causing the orb to explode with a thunderous bang. "I'm sure that you have beaten down every enemy you have faced before with that power of yours. But now, I shall show you that there are some enemies who that little magic trick won't work on. Come... for I shall be your opponent."

"_This should not be happening! I am not going to lose to her!" _Isumi mustered all the strength she had. Violent spiritual energy began to burst forth from her and the earth shook from the massive energy concentration. Upon seeing this, the smile on Athena's face was immediately wiped away.

"Eighth leaf-The Seven Divine Generations, Kamitsumaki!" The thousands of charms that were surrounding Isumi broke off from their formation and took shape of a dragon. Once the transformation was complete, the dragon lunged for Athena. Isumi had finally chosen to reveal her trump card. It's all or nothing, she realised. If she couldn't destroy the stone, then she'll destroy the person behind all of this.

But suddenly, the Kamitsumaki froze in its path to the girl before it exploded. _"No way…the Kamitsumaki was stopped?" _Isumi was stunned. Her most powerful move, the move that took her years to master was blocked by someone who had never faced it before. If she wasn't scared before, she sure was now.

Athena emerged from the clouds of dusts once again triumphantly. But this time, she was standing in the palm of a huge skeletal arm. _"An honoured spirit? How can this be? Athena was possessed by an honoured spirit?"_

Another skeletal arm emerged and caught Isumi by surprise. Isumi tried to struggle her way out but she found herself being pulled closer to Athena. "If only you had left when I told you to do so, it wouldn't have ended up this way." The arm began to tighten its grip on Isumi, forcing the air out of her. She began to choke and ultimately lost consciousness, but the arm kept on tightening. Just before her bones were pushed to its breaking point, the arm was suddenly sliced apart. It fell to the ground and disintegrated into dust.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" said Athena with her eyes scanning the area thoroughly. Finally, she spotted a faint shadow moving closer towards her. The shadow gained substance with each step it took before it morphed into the shape of a man. "It's nice to see you again…A-tan."

* * *

Now, now, I know what you guys are thinking. Yes, this chapter is shorter compared to the other ones. Originally, I planned to make it longer, but, well...it was too long. So I decided to split it into half (maybe three, idk, haven't finished them yet) just to make it a little more dramatic and shorter. Don't forget to review!


	13. Chapter 13: The confrontation II

**_~Reviewers' Corner~_**

**Gittah-Muttan, LoveXOfXHate, Rialga, ,Ryu Flemming, KHShay,** **randomstuff 1900**: Thanks for all those review(s). I really appreciate it! Please continue your support to this story by reviewing my future chapters (^_)

**Zecross: **1) Yeah...monotone characters. That's what I've been struggling to avoid all this time. Thanks for the point-out!  
2) Hmm...I can't really answer that now. It'll just be a spoiler. However, you could judge that by reading the last half of his chapter.  
3) Like I said in my last Reviewers' Corner, I realised most fanfics here focuses only on one character, i.e. the main character. So, I tried to change that by making a supporting character  
into a main character.  
4) Seems like you're the only one who notices that XD  
5) Uhh...I haven't made my mind up about that...yet.

Kyousuke:Yeah, that's right. Keep the reviews coming. Or else you and I will have some issues on our hands. Trust me, you don't want that to happen. And, oh, Mr. Author...

Author: Yes?

Kyousuke: What do you mean by 'supporting character'? I'm the one who makes this crap of yours interesting. *reloads Mini-Uzi* You better give me some good answers.

Author:*sweat drop* Uhh...I um...help? *runs away*

Kyousuke: Oh, you're so dead. *aims the gun and pulled the trigger* What the hell! Out of ammo? *sigh* Anyway, enjoy the story. If you don't... bah, I don't really care.

* * *

Chapter 13_: The Confrontation II_

"_He's good. Damn good. He managed to keep up with all my moves AND dodged all those bullets. *sigh* Looks like my hit ratio's gonna go down…" _

"Humans are such cowards. They fight their enemy from a distance, killing them with their guns instead of their own two hands. Hmph, no wonder they are so weak." Machina dusted his shoulder and gave Kyousuke a smirk.

"The end justify the means. I'll do whatever it takes to get the job done. Besides..." said Kyousuke as he pulls the trigger. A distinct clicking sound could be heard. "I'm all out of ammo. So now, I suppose we can do this your way." He discarded the guns and took off his coat, which surprisingly had been a hindrance to his movements the entire time. "Let's do this."

Both fighters began to sidestep each other, searching for any signs of weaknesses. As if on cue, both moved swiftly towards each other and launched their attacks. Kyousuke made the first move to knock Machina down, only to have his hand grabbed by the boy and thrown to the ground. A punch to his face followed soon afterwards, but Kyousuke moved his head just in time to avoid it. The punch missed his head and hits the ground instead. A hole was left on the solid granite floor to show Kyousuke what would've happened to his head should he fail to dodge the attack in the future.

Kyousuke propelled his left foot to his opponent's stomach to release him from the body lock and used the other foot to kick the Machina's knee, a move that would undoubtedly cause any normal enemy to lose any function of the leg that the blow was intended to. But unfortunately for him, this wasn't just any normal enemy. Although he managed to escape from the body lock, the butler remained virtually unaffected. His plan didn't go as he had originally anticipated. He jumped onto his feet and tilted his head to his sides, letting out cracking noises as if challenging Machina to make his next move.

"You're pretty good…for a human," commented the butler. It was the first time that anyone had ever survived this long against him. To tell the truth, he didn't even know that these mere humans could even cope with his grasp. He was convinced that he had broken several of Kyousuke's bones when he grabbed his hand and a few more when the boy was thrown to the ground. And yet, Kyousuke could still do the 'let's do this' taunt to him.

"Less talk, more punches...shall we?" Kyousuke once again dashed for Machina. He knew that his speed and unpredictability is his best chance to beat the butler since he could not beat his opponent in terms of strength. Machina on the other hand, avoided those attacks and kept his distance away. "What's the matter, are you scared of me?"

"Not at all. I was just wondering how you would react when I do this." All of the sudden, Machina disappeared from Kyousuke's vision.

"_Shit, he knows shunpo?"_ Kyousuke contemplated for a brief moment. He waited for a few moments and looked around for any movements, but none were in plain sight. "_Yeah…he's definitely scared." _Kyousuke lowered his Micro-Uzis down. In that instant, he was caught off guard and Machina appeared behind him. A roundhouse kick was delivered on Kyousuke's back, causing several internal organ damage to him. Before he could even fall to the ground, a second follow-up kick came and thrust his head into the floor. The blow was so hard that the floor cracked and blood splattered everywhere.

"You were a tough one; I have to admit that." He smirked. "You should be grateful that your death was a quick one." Machina pulled his blood-soaked foot from the head of his enemy he had taken down and turns away. As he walked to the door, Machina frowns at his ruined shoe. _"I'll have to get new ones soon..."_

"Hey…the fight's not over yet." Machina suddenly stopped. He turned his back to Kyousuke and found himself facing the barrel of Kyousuke's handgun. "Told'ya I'd do anything to get the job done." Kyousuke pulls the trigger, but his severe condition made it almost impossible for him to aim. The bullet that came out from the gun merely grazed the shoulder of his adversary. He fell backwards from the recoil of the gun. The gun was thrown away from his hand and slid across the floor.

In that instant, Machina snapped. A...human... A mere... human had inflicted damage to him. Him, a superior being than those weak humans. In his rage, he stomped on Kyousuke again and again before finally, a coup de grace on his chest.

"_Damn, I'm losing my consciousness…"_ His sight became darker and darker before all that he could see was an infinite void of darkness.

* * *

"Do you remember me, A-tan?"

"Of course I do. You're the butler I failed to kill back then." Athena snapped her fingers and two swords embedded themselves beside her and Hayate respectively. "Now, let us finish what we started 10 years ago."

"Now, now, can't we talk this-WHOA!" Hayate leaned backward. The blade of Athena's sword nearly stabbed him.

"Unless you give me the Royal Jewel, we have nothing to be talked about."

With all of her strength, Athena mercilessly and unhesitatingly swung the sword. Hayate shifted his body to the left and avoided the swing. Following the movement, she slashed diagonally upwards, only to be parried by Hayate. "Please... A-tan, I didn't come here to fight you." Another slash came and Hayate skidded backwards from the force.

"Oh my, do you really have the time to talk?" Once again, Athena dashed for the boy and swung her sword. Hayate chose a defensive stance and blocked all of Athena's moves. "I'm glad that you have gotten stronger compared to 10 years ago, Hayate. However, you are sorely mistaken if you think you could defeat me with this level of skill."

The blow was of a superhuman strength this time. Hayate failed to cope with the attack and was thrown to the wall. The sword fell from his grasp. Athena on the other hand, didn't celebrate that success. She frowned. "Why were you hesitating? You could have defeated me if you had swung that sword at me a while ago."

Hayate weakly raised his head to face Athena. "Why did you want to go to that horrible place so badly? Didn't we make a promise to leave that castle?"

"A p-promise…to leave the castle?" Athena was startled. Vague memories began to flood her mind. Memories of the time when they were small, the time when they were playing happily with each other in the castle. _"What is he talking about?"_

"That's right! Didn't you say that you were always lonely in that place?" Hayate struggled to stand up with the help of his sword.

"L-lonely?" The memory of her crying alone in the castle every night without anyone to comfort her began to surface. Her chest began to hurt so much, her mind started to fail her. Slowly, Athena unconsciously lowered her sword.

"And now, why would you want to go there again? Why would you want the stone again?"

"_He's just distracting you from the stone. Kill him. Kill him now!" _Another voice filled her head.

"U-urusaii!" She slashed the sword at Hayate, but he caught it with his bare hand. Shocked by the unexpected move, Athena lost grip of her sword. Hayate pulled the sword and threw it away. Hayate began to step forward with blood dripping down from his wound. She reacted in reverse, somehow afraid of Hayate's advance. "Who ever said that I wanted to leave that place with you? I threw you out of that place and the only reason why you're alive today is because our swords broke in the fight!" She flicked her fingers again and another sword appeared in her hand.

"Liar!" He screamed. In that instant, Hayate swiftly moved across the floor and swung the sword right to Athena who naturally warded the attack off. Sparks came out from the violent clash. A moment later, the two swords parted. The girl wondered why Hayate renounced the attack. He could easily take her down since she wasn't expecting Hayate to be that fast. What happened next totally surprised her. Hayate lowered his sword and threw it away.

"Then tell me, how come our swords are still intact even when both of us are using our full strength? There's no way that a sword, even by mistake, would shatter like that by the hands of two children." His eyes suddenly were filled with tears. "You must have rigged them somehow, to let me go away with my life even if you were going to kill me. You allowed me leave…even though you knew that you would be lonely."

"No. That's not…" The girl hesitated. Part of her wanted to say that Hayate was wrong, but she couldn't say it. She just couldn't say it...but why?

"I've been looking for you all these years, A-tan. I've been waiting all my life to say this to you, A-tan. Thank you."

Athena gasped sharply. She was trying to kill him, and he was thanking her? All of her memories came back to her at once and reminded her the times she had with Hayate. They were the only times in her life when she could truly be happy. Although it was just a short period of time, those were the moments she cherished the most.

"I'm really grateful for all the things you did for me. Thank you, A-tan." Hayate smiled with all his heart. He was pleased that he could say that to the person he loved the most in this world.

"_How can I forget about that? About all the fun we had? At first I thought he was only there to obtain the Power of Royalty. But then, to find out... he understands me and has these feelings about me. There's no way…he couldn't possibly be doing this just for the power…"_

"_YOU'RE WRONG!" _Another voice intruded her mind. _"He's the one who stole the power, MY power! He sealed the path ten years ago and now, he's deceiving you yet again to get him to the Royal Garden so that he could get his hands on that power again!"_

"_LIES! He wouldn't do that. EVER!" _Athena dropped to the ground. Hayate rushed forward to help her, but she raised a stuttering hand, telling Hayate to stop, even though in her mind she wanted him to come closer.

"_The only one who can open the path is the one who has the real stone. And he has it." _

"The stone! You have it! Give it to me!"

"Do you mean this little thing?" Hayate fished out a small azure pebble from his left pocket. Athena extended her arm to reach for the stone but Hayate suddenly closed his palms and clenched it tightly. Her ears registered a faint cracking sound. With a smile, Hayate turned his hand and loosened the grip. Sparkling blue dusts fluttered away slowly, carried by the wind. "It's gone."

"Hayate…run!" The young blonde gasped. In that instant, Hayate crossed his hands to cover his face from the oncoming wave.

As he removed his hands, a huge skeletal demon came to his sight. The towering spirit had Athena imprisoned in his cavernous chest, bristled with blades that restricted her movements. Hayate tried to stand on his feet again but a blow came suddenly to his back. He fell once again onto his knees. The floor was tainted by blood which had spewed from his mouth.

"Hayate, get away from here. I'll hold the demon off. Take Saginomiya-san with you too. I'll use my remaining power to get rid both him and myself."

"No! I came here to save you! I...I am not losing you again!"

"It's alright Hayate. This is the punishment I've brought on myself." Athena let out a smile. "Hayate…I'm sorry that all I ever do is hurt you…" At that point, she had exerted herself too far. Athena lost her consciousness and her head dropped.

Hayate wiped the blood away from his lips and stood up. He looked around the room and found out that more and more demons began to swarm around him. The boy turned his eyes to the stone at the other side of the room. The incandescence of the stone gave him the hint that the ritual could begin at any moment. Finally, he averted his gaze to the skeletal being. Hayate tilted his face and let out a sardonic smile.

"You're finally showing me your pitiful form, Midas." Hayate sensed the feeling uneasiness coming from the demon. His smile grew wider.

"Who…are you, human?"

"Human? I gave up my humanity a long time ago." Hayate took a step forward. "You have breached the contract you made, Midas. You were not allowed to harm any human with the power you've gained. And now…get out of my sight." At the speed of light, dark matter had branched off from Hayate's feet and pierced through every demon in the room. Each and every one of them disintegrated at that very moment.

The skeletal being swept its huge hand down, but Hayate easily held it at bay with his left hand. His shadow detached itself from the floor and sliced the hand away. The demon roars in anguish. "YOU! You're the one who cut off my arm ten years ago! This time, you-!"

A shadow went through Midas' chest. It roared once again and tried to crush the dark matter, but another shadow came and pierced its arm. One by one, the shadows perforated the huge demon, causing it to disintegrate away slowly. "I have no idea what it is about that hand that you are talking about." The final blow came and the demon disappeared.

Athena, having lost the support of the demon that was holding her, succumbed to gravity. Hayate quickly pushed himself forward and caught the falling girl. He caught her with both his hands and rolled to the side of the room, avoiding the fallen debris. Hayate coughed and pushed the huge chunks of rocks from his back while ensuring that the girl wasn't hurt.

Slowly, he corrected his position. Athena rested peacefully on his lap, breathing softly as if asleep. Her beautiful golden hair lay haphazardly on the floor, the warmth of her body slowly became natural to him. Hayate couldn't help but to let a smile slip from his lips. He could hardly believe that the girl, the only girl he ever loved was here in his arms. He reached his hands out to caress the girl's soft cheek and tears began to roll down his.

The memories of the past flashed in his eyes. _"Humans are just selfish…" _ Although it hurts, although he knew it was his fault that all of this happened, Hayate wanted nothing more than to be with his beloved A-tan. He remembered how he had hurt his precious Athena's feelings by saying that horrible thing to her, about how his life was changed the moment when he met the girl. And yet, he still had the gut to whisper, "I love you, A-tan."

As he lowered his head, he saw two crimson eyes looking straight at him.

* * *

Sorry (again) for the late update. Mid-year exam :P Thanks a lot to my beta reader; Linktriforce007. Without him, you guys wouldn't understand a word I was trying to say in this fic. Don't forget to review, yada yada yada...oh, almost forgot. I'll be making an entire chapter dedicated to Hayate's past. I'm doing it in the form of reminiscence. So do you think I should type it out in italic text or should I type it out normally? Is it true that it'll be harder to read stories typed in full italic text? Lastly, do you prefer Hayate to be weak or strong(or both)? Please tell me about your opinion on these matters. Thanx XD


	14. Chapter 14: Farewell

**_~Reviewers' Corner~_**

**KHShay**, **Rialga: **Thanks for the feedback.

**Gitah-Muttan: **Thanks to my beta-reader of course XD

**zecross: **It's a power he obtained after he left the Royal Garden. Details will be revealed soon.

**Zer0Faith**: I have made a decision regarding that question; I only wanted to know what the readers want, that's all. In case you haven't noticed, he let himself beaten up earlier in the story because he knew someone was watching him and it wouldn't be very nice if Hinagiku knew he's strong so early in the plot, would it? As for the running away part, he was cornered to that alley and he can't escape. As for my OC, I'm still trying to make him less Gary Stu-ish but progress has been very slow. And no, I don't consider this as a flame. I wished more people would give reviews like this XD

**thyrokio & J.: **Thanks~3

**Chevalier Silencieux**: Goof?

Wow...it's almost four months since I last updated the story. I really didn't expect for it to be this long for me to publish this chapter.

Hinagiku: I'm sure if you hadn't been watching pointless TV ads and sleeping all the time, I'm sure you could've finished this chapter earlier.

Author: Well...*silent*

Hinagiku: Please enjoy the story while I'm going to teach the author a little something about time management.

Author: Oh come on... we already had this nag- I mean... conversation before...

* * *

Chapter 14: Farewell

The two were locked into each other's eyes. Athena suddenly realised that she was in a very embarrassing position, being held in Hayate's arms. She tried to struggle her way out, but Hayate held onto her shoulders firmly and landed his cheeks onto hers. A warm sensation ran down her cheek. It was a tear. But the girl knew it wasn't hers.

"A-tan, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Athena regained her composure again and gazed upon the teenager's face. His eyes were red from the crying and his cheeks were lined with streaks of tears. Athena raised her hand and just like a mother soothing her child, she stroked the boy's hair gently. She spoke softly, as soft as the calmest wind. "What's wrong, Hayate?" Her face was filled with compassion and empathy, so much that it struck him to the deepest parts of his heart.

"It's just," the teenager sobbed. "I've made you sad. I've hurt you so-" Hayate was instantly silenced when the girl places her finger on his lips.

"It's okay, Hayate. It's okay. You don't have to be sad. Look," said the girl as she let out a smile. "I look happy now, don't I? And that's because you're here."

The young blonde wiped the tears from his eyes and got up before going down one-step on the floor and sat down again. Her face flushed with the brightest shade of red. _"Did I really say that? H-h-how embarrassing!" _ She quickly hid her face before the teenager realized that she was turning red from embarrassment.

The two remained in silence for what seemed like an eternity for both of them. Neither of them made any attempt to start a conversation, as both were lost in their own thoughts.

"Hey, Hayate…" Athena finally said, breaking the silence between them. "My back is a bit cold." The young blonde said with her face downwards. She could feel steam literally rising from her head.

"Here, take my coat," said Hayate in respond to her statement. As he slid his left arm out from his coat, he felt as if a bee had stung his thigh. "OUCH! A-tan, why did you do that?"

"What are you doing trying to make me wear a guy's jacket? I don't want that. I…well…there's…you know…" Athena began to fluster. Seeing this, Hayate couldn't help but to smile. The once proud Athena that he knew is turning red before him. What a sight. Hayate decided to playfully tease her a bit more.

"In that case, would you mind telling me where your room is? You must have a stole or something to keep you warm- OUCH!"

"Geez Hayate! A girl's room isn't a place you should enter so easily…"

"But we used to be sleeping together, in the same bed too- OUCH!" The pinch she gave him this time was so hard that Hayate was almost sure that the mark would never disappear.

"Geez…There's already something nice and warm…and it's right behind me…" The young blonde said with a fading voice.

Hearing that, Hayate slowly extended his hands and wrapped it around her shoulders. He could feel his cheeks starting to warm up.

"Is…is this okay with you, A-tan?"

"Yes…this is fine…" she said while blushing.

"A-tan, there's something I need to…"He let his words trail away as her head suddenly rested on his shoulder. She was fast asleep.

_"How cute," _said Hayate to himself. He pulled Athena a bit closer and swept her hair aside to have a better look at her face. _"Poor girl, having to endure all those years alone without anyone at your side must have been very hard. But don't worry. From now on, nothing bad is going to happen to you. I promise."_

Hayate lifted his head as he hears the sound of a person opening the door. A dark, white-haired teenager in a butler's uniform enters the room. It was Machina.

* * *

_A younger version of Kyousuke Mizuhashi Alexander Mikhailov at probably around 6-7 years old stood at a pier. He was trembling nervously, stealing glances towards the man beside him. The man, dressed in black, wore a look of disgust on his face. He pulled his hand out from one of his pockets and pointed towards the end of the pier. The boy, Alexander, ran towards the said direction._

_All of a sudden, he froze as he saw two figures lying down on the wooden floor, shrouded in thick morning fog. His instincts told him not to go any further, but his curiosity had won the fight. Alexander took one step at a time while examining the two figures. Suddenly, he gasped. The two figures in front of him were actually a boy and a girl, and both of them had their mouths gagged and their faces were full with bruises and cuts. Both of them were covered in blood._

"_Lily! Hendrik!" Alexander cried. He ran towards the two and helped them up. The boy was unconscious, but the little girl wasn't any better. She was terribly weak. The boy pulled out the clothes that gagged the mouths of the two children and tried to release the two from the rope that was restraining them, but had no success. Alexander noticed the tapping sound of someone walking towards him. He looked back and saw the man in black glaring down at him. "__Sér__, please help them. They're injured." He begged._

_The man however, raised his hand and gave Alexander a hard slap across his face. Alexander was sent sliding across the floor. His face was cut as it collided with the hard wooden floor. "Alex-…no…47, do you realise that you have made a serious offense against the Organisation? Do you know who those two are?"_

_Alexander looked in confusion at the man. He then slowly stood up and answered the man's question. "I do, __sér__. They're Lily Hansworth and Hendrik Kercher. They're my partners at the Academy-"_

"_Do you realise that both of them came from the British MI6 and the Germany KSK Kommando Spezialkräfte?" The man asked in a straight yet threatening tone. His face was as cold as a corpse._

_Alexander looked in surprise at the man. He shifted his sight from the two children and the man alternatively. "N-no __sér__. I…didn't."_

"_What a stupid mistake you've made, 47. We gave you the task of guarding the Organization's secrets as a test to determine your loyalty to us. A test which you have most certainly failed."_

_Alexander looked down uneasily. He knew the magnitude of the mistake he made. The only thing standing between him and his impending death is just an uncertain amount of time before the man in front of him executed him. Alexander closed his eyes and trembled ever more than before. It's just a matter of time…_

"_But fortunately for you," The man continued, "your mistake has been contained. You have now been given a chance to redeem yourself." The boy looked up in shock. He had been forgiven? How could that be? No one in the Organization ever lived to see daylight again once their blunders were exposed. And yet here he is, given a chance to reprimand himself? It didn't make any sense at all._

_The man took out a handgun from his coat. It was a double-action Serdyukov SPS, or more commonly known as the Gyurza. Alexander knew very well that this gun was one of the best pistols there is from the wide variety of handguns offered in the Organization's vast armoury. It's the preferred choice in nearly all the secret Russian operatives like the KGB and the FSB for its capability to deal with targets such as those with bulletproof vests or ones that hide in vehicles._

_The man handed the gun to Alexander. With shaking hands, he slowly accepted the gun and held it firmly in his hands. He was already accustomed to the weapon as this was one of the pistols he had trained most with at the Academy. But somehow, he had a very bad feeling about it this time._

"_Kill those spies."_

_Alexander froze. All blood was suddenly drained from his face, making him look deathly pale. He didn't see that coming. He was given the order to kill two of his best friend, his only friends. It was just too impossible to be done by him._

"_B-b-but __sér__, they're…my friends." He tried to argue._

"_Are you questioning my order, 47?"_

"_N-no __sér__…but-"_

"_Then I'd suggest for you to do as I say."_

"_B-but…"_

"_ARE YOU DISOBEYING ME?"_

"_ОТЕЦ (t/l: father)!" In that instance, he felt a hard object hitting his cheek. Alexander was once again thrown to the floor. He touched his cheek, trickling with blood. The man he called father stood before him with the gun pointed at him._

"_You are not worthy of bearing the Mikhailov family as your name. We don't need someone as weak as you are. Useless. Pitiful. Pathetic." The man spits to the ground. "I have no son. Don't you dare to call me your father ever again, understood?"_

"_Yes __sér__." _

"_Good. Now, take this and finish the job," ordered the man. Alexander obliged. He took the weapon and aimed to the two people in front of him._

"_Alex, please, don't kill us. We're your friends." The girl begged._

"_Lies!" He cocked the gun. It was ready to be fired._

"_No, it's true! You told us you've never felt happiness in our life. If you help us, we can leave this place together."_

"_Shut up! 47, kill them now!"_

"_Alex, please…"_

_Alexander trembled. He closed his eyes and finally…_

_BANG!_

_The little boy's body jerked slightly and he fell into the lake with only the sound of splashing water. The girl beside him let out a whimper when the gun was fired, which then turned into silent sobs. She lowered her head; as she had given up all hope of surviving this. Alexander cocked the weapon again, and aimed at the female. But this time, he was having a conflict within himself. He had just shot the person who had ever noticed him, the person only whom had ever supported him in hard times. And now, he was going to do it again._

_Alexander dropped to his knees. The gun clanked beside him. "I can't do it. I just can't. She's my friend." Alexander let his tears out, unable to control his emotions anymore._

_In that instance, he felt a kick on his ribs. Alexander rolled to the side, clutching himself in pain. The man picks up the gun and pulls the trigger. With a short cry, the little girl fell and the surrounding turns silent. He places the gun beside Alexander and bent down before he whispered. "If I were in your place, I would shoot myself right now." He then stood up and walked away._

_Supporting himself with one hand, Alexander began to stand up slowly. He felt something different than what he thought he should be feeling right now. He felt…nothing. Not sadness, not remorse, not anger, just nothing. He lifted the gun and pointed to his chin. One pull, just one pull and everything ends now. He kept telling himself that again and again. He pulls the trigger slowly and closes his eyes._

_Suddenly, he let out a smirk. And a chuckle followed soon after that. The ma n, who wasn't very far from the boy, turned on his back. His eyes were widened from pure horror. _

_BANG!_

_Alexander lowers his smoking gun. For the first time in his life, he smiled. He felt happy. He was contented. He let out a laugh and looked up to the dark sky. "Mama," He whispered, "omец is on his way to meet you now." The rain falls and Alexander raised his hands, as if trying to embrace them._

_*Scratch*_

_His ears caught a noise, different than the sound of falling rain. He turns back and saw the little girl, barely alive dragging herself towards him. Alexander walks up to her and stood before her. His cold eyes looking down at the girl without any emotion whatsoever. She was gasping for air desperately. Alexander could see a trail of blood behind her and notices a huge bloodstain on her back. Apparently, the bullet had missed her vital organs. The _

"_Alex…please…" The girl coughed some blood out of her mouth "help…me…"_

_He remained silent for a few moments, not reacting to her plea for help. The boy than raised his gun and pointed it at the girl's face. He looked straight into her desperate eyes with blank expression on his face._

_BANG! BANG!_

* * *

You filthy being, don't you dare lay your hands upon ojou-sama." The teenager glared upon the blue-haired boy furiously. Hayate laid Athena beside him gently, taking care not to wake her up. He walked a few steps forward to face the butler.

"Machina-san, what are you talking about?"

"I am talking about your hidden past, the present, and your future."

"What are you-"

"How does it feel for a human like you to obtain something as powerful as the Power of Royalty?"

Hayate's face turned as white as a sheet in an instant. His breath became shallow, his fingers trembled and cold sweat drops from his forehead. Hayate was for the first time in so many years, scared. "Who are you?" hissed Hayate. He compared the face before him against thousands in his mind, but found no match.

"The question of 'who I am' is not an important question as 'who _you_ are'," answered the butler, "Or should I say were?" He paused for a moment to observe the boy's reaction to his words. Hayate displayed nothing but pure fear in his eyes. Yes, there's no mistaking it, Machina thought. This is the person that had started it all. "Tell me, _Ayasaki Hayate, _if that's your real name," said the teenager in calm, yet threatening tone. "How does it feel like to be in power? Does it amuse you, to be controlling the lives of so many people, people who would sacrifice their life for you, people who would die just so that your unending lust for power could be satisfied?"

"Stop it-"

"Or to have the wisdom of other people who had lived their life before you?"

"Don't…"

"Or to betray people who loved you and-"

"ENOUGH!" The blue-haired boy howled. His face turned red from anger and he glared at the butler right in his eyes. Every part of him screamed, telling him to just cover his ears and run away from the teenager. But Hayate found no strength left inside him to allow him to do that.

The manservant smirked and continued. "And to take their life even though you swore on your own that you would protect them?"

Hayate fell to his knees, his face hidden behind the palms of his hands. He began to sob and shook his head from side to side. "Please…no more," Hayate begged. Machina walked past him and lifts the sleeping girl into his arms. "Stay away from Athena if you know what's best for her. She does not have to suffer the consequences of what you did."

The blue-haired raised his face and gazed the butler. "Who are you?"

"Erichtonius."

* * *

"*grunts* Dammit, stop kicking me will you?" Moaned Alexander in a half anger, half conscious state. He flailed his hands with no avail to search for the person who had been kicking him for quite a while now. The kicking soon stopped and Alexander, thinking it was over, rested his hands. He was proven wrong by another hit in his ribs, this time a lot stronger than before.

"When I get you, you're so dead you motherfuc-" Alexander failed to finish his sentence as he felt his face being stomped by something heavy. The Sanzenin butler promptly opened his eyes and saw Hayate practically standing on one leg, with the leg itself on his face. The latter bent his body forwards to have a clear look at the butler's face. "Why you as- OWOWOW!" Alexander felt like his cranium was going to explode from the sudden increase in pressure. He could only glare at the blue-haired teenager furiously.

"Mind your language, Alexander," said Hayate simply before stepping down. Alexander sat up and dusted his dirtied shirt. _"Wait, did I just sit up?" _ thought Alexander to himself. Just now, he was bleeding to death and was barely alive. However, he could sit up with ease and no bloodstain could be seen anywhere near or even on him.

"What did you do Ayasaki?"

Hayate threw a vial over his shoulder in response to that question. Alexander caught it and took a look at the vial. It was small, around the size of two adult-sized fingers. Its transparency allowed Alexander to see what it contained; a small volume of viscous red liquid-like substance. "Finish it. I'll see you again at the villa."

"Wait, this stuff ain't gonna make me turn green or something, will it?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Hayate halted his movement and looked back at the teenager. "Oh, and when you get back at the villa, I expect a full report on why a US vessel stationed at the Aegean Sea launched a Tomahawk missile to this very spot from you."

"_Crap, how did he find out about that?" _ Alexander made an obviously faked laugh. "What kind of a moron would launch a Tomahawk at a densely populated city as this? Everybody knows that you should use a smart bomb for that." Hayate stared at him, but he knew that a poker face would let him off the hook, at least for now. "By the way, what happened to that missile? I don't think I've heard any booms around here."

"I had butler took it down," answered Hayate as the door closed behind him.

Alexander let out a relieved sigh. _"Mental note; don't mess with Ayasaki and his butler." _He laid his head back and shut his eyes. His back was starting to hurt again.

* * *

The teenager left the room and began to walk down the ruined corridor. His mind was on its limit trying to figure out something for him. The events that unfolded before him were something that he truly did not anticipate, much less be prepared for. He was thinking about his encounter with the demon, the butler, and the warning from the latter. Everything was getting out of hand and he had neither the answer nor the means to solve the problems that were rushing through his mind.

In pure frustration, Hayate punched the wall beside him. It made a small crater on the solid wall. Hayate pulled back his hand and looked at his knuckles. Blood trickled from his fingers. He suddenly remembered something.

The teenager ran back to the room where he had come across the demon. He slowed his pace as he reached the center of the area. There, he closed his eyes and began to breathe in a much calmer and lower intensity than before. Hayate emptied his mind.

Hayate detected a dim pulse from his surroundings. Hayate concentrated his mind to it and all of a sudden, a powerful force jolted him. At first he experienced feverish heat, then bitter cold. _"Yes, this is it." _He smiled. As he allows his mind to wander and slowly grasp the overwhelming force, his body was numbed with a tingling sensation. His entire body overflowed with a potent energy and each and every one of his cells did not know how to react to it other than to tingle pathetically. If a normal human being was subjected to this level of power, they would surely be dead by now. However, Hayate was no normal human being.

The air buzzed with power and several white electrical bolts crackled around him. And almost abruptly, as if time itself were halted, the entire scene came to a standstill. A voice came from Hayate, but it wasn't his. It was a voice of pure magic layered with undeniable power.

"Come to your master, Black Camellia."

* * *

BTW, if you guys don't remember what Black Camellia is, it's actually a sword (refer to The End of the World Arc-forgot which chapter ;P). Before I end this chapter, I have an announcement to make. Since I've began writing my second fic 'Pride, Love and Dreams', I'm going to take even more time to write the two stories as I've decided to publish both stories i.e. this one and the one mentioned above at the same time. Don't forget to read & review XD


	15. Chapter 15: Favours

**_~Reviewers' Corner~_**

**Rialga: **He did not lose his mind, but the incident had changed him from a weak little boy into a ruthless hitman. Well, at least he's okay with it.

**J.**: If you don't mind, could you please PM me those questions? It might help me to smoothen the plot and avoid plot holes.

**Gittah-Muitan: **I hope my explanation suffices your questions. Thanks for the suggestion though. I'll keep it in mind.

**Zecross: **You're right. If you don't like stories with dark plots, you better stop by the end of this sentence because it will only be getting darker from now on. As for the other question, I won't answer it because it'll just become a spoiler.

**was plutomoon2**: Uhh...okay.

Chapter 15, as promised; although it's a little bit late than expected. Sorry about that.

Chiharu: What do you mean by 'a little bit'? You're more than two months late!

Author: At least it didn't take me four months to finish it like the last chapter.

Chiharu: *sigh* Hina sure was right. You're hopeless.

Author: GIMME A BREAK ALREADY! *turns to readers* Uhh...just ignore me XD

* * *

_Chapter 15: Favours_

Hayate tossed around in his bed uncomfortably. He was well aware that the air-conditioning had been turned onto its coolest setting; and yet he could still feel his entire body scorching. As a result, his stomach was in dire pain, and he felt as if he was seasick. A thought suddenly flashed in his mind. _"Oh god, don't tell me that the oysters I ate on the plane were spoiled?" _He remembered that Kyousuke had prepared some oyster croquettes for him. Hayate really thought that for once in his life, Kyousuke was being nice to him. Guess he was wrong. _"The next time I see him, he is so going to be-" _

The teenager halted his thoughts at the sound of footsteps walking at the balcony. A thief.

With the agility of a cat, Hayate jumped out of his bed silently and closed his distance to the balcony. He peered out as far as he could without revealing himself to the intruder but all he could see was the silhouette of a figure shone by the moon. Judging from the persona's features, he assumed that the intruder is a female. Hayate reached out to the drawer beside him where his butler had stored a gun for him in case of emergencies. Hayate took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his gun before propelling himself out of his room and trained the weapon at the intruder.

"Stay where you are and you might just…" The revelation shook him so much that he failed to finish his words and left them trailing instead.

She was a female with pretty, sharp features, perfectly unblemished white skin… and looked just like Athena. It took him several moments before he could overcome his surprise and ask her a question. "Athena? What are you doing here?"

The young lady disregarded his words and instead focused on the piano before her. She opened the piano's ivory key cover and began playing a piece. The gentle nature of the music coincided with the frosty night air perfectly. Barely a few moments afterward, Hayate began to realize the significance of the music. He knew the piece very well... Perhaps, too well. And finally, before the music ended with a perdendosi, Hayate was soaked with sweat. There was only one other soul than himself who knew the piece.

Something then caught his attention. As the girl lifted her face, he could now see her more clearly. The persona before him does have striking resemblance with Athena Tennousu except in one part. Her eyes. Her eyes weren't saffron as he had originally had expected. Instead, it was the same colour as a lavender. She paced slowly towards Hayate but the teenager, despite all his efforts, failed to even inch away from her. His entire body refused to respond to his commands until the girl stood right before him.

She had a hint of sadness in her eyes but she managed to mask it with a smile. The girl raised her hand and gave a gentle touch on Hayate's cheek. "Now... why do you look so scared, my dear Hayate?" It was only for a fraction of a second, but Hayate could have sworn that her lilac eyes glowed at that moment. She then held onto his shoulders and tiptoed so that she could whisper to his ear. "After all, you were the one who murdered me."

Hayate promptly fell onto his knees and broke into tears. He covered his face and cowered on the floor before begging to the person. "Please… please forgive me, Clarissa…"

* * *

"_I wonder... what should I prepare for the master's breakfast today?" _contemplated the servant to himself. This had become somewhat of a regular dilemma to the butler. His master, Hayate Ayasaki demanded that he should prepare different cuisine for each of his master's meals. To the manservant, this wish of his master posed no problem at all for him since he already mastered several thousands of food recipes from all over the world. His master however, tended to be as disagreeable as he could be by giving ridiculous excuses for not eating his breakfast such as the food is too hot, too cold, or simply because he doesn't like the pattern on the plate.

A glance to the digital clock on the wall revealed that the time is 09:27. The butler raised a brow. His master rarely woke up late unless he is up to something or simply not feeling well. He decided to put his chores on hold before ascending the stairs to his master's bedroom. With the back of his hand, he knocked on the door once. No answer. He knocked again.

"What?" responded the irritated voice of Hayate Ayasaki through the door.

"I'm here to check on you, master. You asked me to wake you up early today since you will be having a meeting with multiple bank representatives. The time is already 9.30 a.m. I would suggest strongly that you go down to have a cup of tea before-"

"Just go away already," said the teenager. His voice sounded slightly muffled from the pillow covering his face. "I don't want to meet those old people who want nothing other than my wealth. Reschedule the meeting and leave me alone."

The butler let out a sigh. He wondered to himself if it was just his imagination as to whether or not he had become overbearingly obnoxious since he had become a teenager. "You know, a dress would look really fitting on you. If you don't get up now, I might _accidentally _replace all your clothes to that. I'm sure all the girls and boys at school would be attracted to you." The manservant said with a straight tone, hinting at the word "accidentally". A few footsteps later and Hayate's head poked through the opening of the door. He was glaring at the man before him.

"Alright, alright, I get your point. Now, go ahead and make some breakfast for me," said the teenager before he slammed the door shut. The butler turned around with a smile creeping on his face.

"_Ah…blackmail. Works every time."_

* * *

Hayate descended the stairs with a copy of the Wall Avenue Journal in his right hand and a cup of English tea in the other. The journal's front page was featuring three world-renowned figures in the financing industry. Boring. He flicked through the pages of the newspaper and an article regarding the resolutions agreed by the members of the European Union had caught his interest. The resolutions were mainly focused on creating a mechanism to stabilise the Union members' economy. _"How meaningless. Unless they came up with a way to reduce their debts, there's no way we're getting out of this economic meltdown."_

"Politicians," he mumbled to himself. With a sigh, he pushed the door to his dining room open and unconsciously let his thoughts out. "Some things just never change." To his surprise, someone actually made a comment to his statement.

"That's not true. Things could be a hell lot worse than this."

Hayate took his eyes off from the papers and stared at the person sitting before him for a few moments. Finally, he turned to his butler. "Butler, what is _it _doing here?"

Kyousuke was piqued. He was about to return a sarcastic remark when the butler gestured him to keep it to himself. "Master Kyousuke said he had a business preposition for you and you might want to hear it out. So I let him in and asked him to wait for you here."

"How many times have I told you Butler? Don't let any strangers into this house. Least of all, that life form which barely qualifies as a human." He stated. "As for you, Mikhailov," said Hayate with a scorn. "I don't want to be involved in one of your foolish schemes anymore. So do both of us a favor, and please get out from this house and my life."

"Jeez, your welcome is as warm as a summer in Siberia, you know. If you don't want to hear about that business... well, it's your loss." He waited for a response, and just as he had expected, the teenager yielded.

"Fine," Hayate heaved a sigh."We'll talk this over breakfast." The teenager than led the way to the dining table. After asking for a glass of fresh milk, he told the butler to tend to their 'guest'... just to be polite. The servant bowed and went to their guest, ready to take his order.

"Give me a glass of glacier water from the Alps with a slice cucumber in it, a T-bone steak, some pina colada and…oh! A bottle of your finest Bordeux. Make it quick, butler boy, chop-chop!" said the teenager arrogantly. Almost promptly, he found a lodged silver knife quivering just a few millimeters between his index and forefinger. He looked up and saw the butler smiling apologetically.

"Pardon me, that knife just slipped from my hand." he said before pulling the three-inch lodged knife from the solid oak table with ease. "I'll be back with your meal soon." He bowed once more before exiting the room. Kyousuke did no more than watching the servant left with a thought in his mind. _"Does everyone in this house take jokes seriously?"_

Hayate cleared his throat to get the teenager's attention before he spoke. "Let's hear this, 'business preposition', of which you spoke about now, shall we?"

The guest looked at his host and leaned back on his chair. "You know, I'm beginning to wonder whether this is gonna be just a simple breakfast, or if you are simply trying to kill me with as much discretion as possible?"

"Whatever do you mean by that?" asked the master of the house innocently.

"Tch, don't play coy with me. There's at least a single handgun stored under every seat at this table, including yours, of course." He pulled out a drawer and took its contents out. "Razor-sharp silverwares - just what we need for a dinner party, and…ah, a couple of flash grenades. How convenient." He closed the drawer again and looked at his host. "Really now, they say that peace does begin at dinner tables, but you sure do take it to a whole new extreme, Ayasaki."

Hayate merely shrugged at the statement. "It's just for protection, a common thing to do these days and I prefer to be careful. Anyways, let's cut to the chase. What's with the business preposition?"

"Not so fast, my friend. You still owe me something. We agreed that as a payment for babysitting those kids, you'll give a gun for all my troubles." In response to that, the blue-haired boy tapped the table and a panel slid open before his guest, revealing a secret compartment. Kyousuke moved forward and took out a sniping rifle from the crevice.

"CRX-II. The rifle is actually a rail gun powered by a mini-nuke battery. It fires .50 caliber projectiles, maximum effective range of firing of 27.83 kilometers and made from our newly developed composite material; absolutely invincible to scanners and x-rays. As for the telescopic sight, it is computerized and extremely accurate – internal gyrostabilizer, infrared laser and a GPS transmitter-receiver. It's efficient, deadly and absolutely silent."

"Nice, this is one hell of a piece of art you've made here. Alright, back to business. I'm gonna meet an…eh, 'businessman' after this. He has the connection to the guys in charge of some spearheads and… I'm supposed to offer him your Prioxis as a sign of good faith."

Hayate shot him a questioning look for a moment. "Why should I help you to get some of thosedirty bombs? Anyways, I'm not interested in this," rejected Hayate plainly. The response had piqued him once again. He immediately lashed out at the blue-haired teenager.

"Tch, nothing hangs between your thighs. In fact, there's a hole so deep, that it reaches into the fucking hell!"

No one could stand being mocked like that. Hayate still retained his usual smile, but his eyes were obviously twitching from anger. "What did you just say, Mikhailov?"

"You heard me alright. You're a chicken, heck, you ain't even got no balls like them chicken," replied Kyousuke with a feeling of content. He knew what Hayate would say next.

"Alright, Mikhailov, I'm in. Now, what's in it for me?"

Kyousuke grinned in return to that question. "Oh, not much really, just a piece of information."

"And that would be?"

"Two words," Kyousuke paused as he inspects his new rifle. "Ikkusa Ayasaki."

* * *

Just in case you haven't visited my profile yet, i'm going to say it again here. I'm putting all three Hayate The Combat Butler fanfic I made under an indefinite hiatus, so don't expect me to update anytime soon. Anyway, I hope you will continue yor support to my works by reading it and reviews would be very much appreciated.

увидимся!


	16. Chapter 16: Oops my bad

**_~Reviewers' Corner~_**

**Guest, HayateXAthena: **Thank you for the compliment!

**Zecross: **I guess we'll just have to see about that. XD

Wow...time sure flies quickly. It's been well over a year since I've last updated my stories. I can't believe I still have the strength to finish it-

Alexander: You better be. Don't wanna half-ass it now, would we?

Author: Hey! What are you doing here? Get out! *turns to readers* Without further ado, Chapter 16!

* * *

_Chapter 16: Oops... my bad._

"You are never, ever going to drive any of my cars again in the future." Hayate Ayasaki stepped out from his vehicle, nearly stumbling himself on his way towards the streetlight before he leaned against the pole to support his trembling knees. "Thank god, I really thought I was done for back there."

"Don't be such a wuss Ayasaki. What's the point of having this baby if you ain't gonna put the pedal to the metal?" Said Alexander with his signature smirk flashed to the blue-haired teenager. Hayate however, made no answer to the question. He was trying his best to stand up with the help of the streetlight while covering his mouth to prevent himself from losing his breakfast.

Alexander Mikhailov shook his head. He decided to let his friend some time to pull himself together as he inspects their ride. His fingers traced a line on the smooth surface of the car. The car's exterior texture of pre-impregnated carbon fibre and Kevlar gave his fingers a certain sense of luxurious sensation; much to his admiration. "The CCXR…" he paused for a moment before throwing a frown to his companion. "Dammit Ayasaki! You've got one hell of a collection of cars but you never take them for a spin. Such a waste of good cars."

"That is none of your problem now, is it not, Mikhailov?" Replied Hayate in a hoarse voice, "Besides, I think you owe me for all those speed tickets you have earned just now. For goodness's sake, we must have broken at least a dozen speed limits."

"17 actually; I've been counting." Smiled Alexander mischievously, pretending to be ignorant to Hayate's disapproval. "Anyway, we gotta go now. Wouldn't want to make him waiting for us now, would we?"

"Where is the meeting going to be held?"

In response to that question, he flashed a grin and pointed to a shop right across the road. Hayate turned and could only raise his eyebrow in response. "You have got to be kidding me; a maid café?"

"Yeah, that's the last place anyone would find a couple of teenagers looking out for nukes for sale. That place is completely safe," Alexander gave him a thumbs-up and beamed a smile to him.

"Are you sure it's not because of the girls in maid uniform?" Hayate asked the teenager, although he already knew the answer to that question.

"Oh yeah, that too."

The duo proceeded into the premise; Hayate with his head shook in regret for coming along and Alexander smiling, completely ignoring his partner. They scanned the area for any empty table and found one located at a remote corner of the café. As soon as they were seated, a waitress greeted them with a warm smile and offered them with the menu. While browsing through the many choices of desserts and ice creams offered at the café, Hayate took the occasional glance at Alexander whom was preoccupied with the waitress even more than with the menu itself. The teenager lets out a muted sigh.

After taking their orders of a cup of green tea latte, a lime-flavoured ice cream and a bottle of orange juice, the waitress bowed down and left the two before attending the other customers. Upon given the chance, Hayate observed his surroundings. He made a mental note of all the exits and table positions; just in case they need to make a quick getaway. Next, he turned to the other customers present in the café. Most of the customers in the café are school students; all of them came from the nearby international all-girls school, deduced Hayate from their foreign facial structure and school uniform. Apart from that, there was an old couple who sat a few tables away from them. Hayate concluded that all of them posed little to no threat to either him or Alexander. On the contrary, Alexander, with his chin rested on his right palm kept his sight fixed to the waitress whom took their orders just now. He never did let the waitress out of his sight until she disappeared into the kitchen. For a moment, Hayate thought that his partner looked disappointed but the expression was swept away almost instantly and was replaced by a grin.

"Blue stripes…" Alexander whispered in a voice so low that it can barely be heard by someone sitting next to him.

"Pardon?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing," answered the teenager before shifting his gaze to the entrance, "that however, is. He's coming."

A well-built man with dark shades entered into the scene. He wore a plain-coloured polo shirt and a pair of slacks while carrying a small briefcase. The man strode purposefully towards the two teenagers before removing his shades and inquired in a nigh foreign accent. "And you are?"

"Buda," responded Alexander, referring to himself, "Pest," continued the teenager while pointing at Hayate. The insult came in as a pang at the latter but he decided to let it pass. "And you must be…?"

"Privet ɡospodin Mikhailov. Kak vy pozhivayetye?"

"Nyeplokho, gospodin Nikolai, nyeplokho." Alexander nodded to the greeting from the man. The teenager promptly motioned for the man to take a seat. "If you don't mind, I hope we can conduct our business in English as I'm quite certain that my friend here isn't very fluent in Russian." He turned his gaze to Hayate and introduced the man to the teenager. "Mr. Nikolai is a Generál-Leytenántof the Russian Naval Force. He's a friend of mine in the military. "

The lieutenant general nodded to Hayate before reaching his hand out. "Pleasure meeting you, Mr... ah, I believe you haven't introduced yourself yet."

"Dan'ichiro Sanka."

"I see…" Nikolai paused for a moment. A sense of doubt was hinted in his tone. "I'm sorry; I expected to meet someone, with all due respect, older." Nikolai voiced his thought to the teenager as he began to analyse the person in front of him. He made a guess that this so-called Dan'ichiro person is no more than 18 years old. In a glance, Dan'ichiro looked no different than other teenagers. The latter's countenance was composed and reserved, but his trained eyes knew that the person before him could be much more than that. His experience has taught him that the ones who seemed to pose the least threat are almost always the most dangerous.

"Age is irrelevant. If you find it possible to be doing business with Mr. Mikhailov here whom I believe of the same age as I am, I do not think there is any reason for you to be treating me any differently," retorted Hayate as he looked straight into the man's unwavering eyes. "After all, this is just business, is it not?"

"Indeed." Nikolai placed the briefcase he had brought with him on the table and turned it towards his clients. "My associates have informed me that the last shipment of the gold bullions that you have promised me has been received. These," said the man as he flips the cover of the briefcase open, "are the items that you have requested; the launch modules and the Premier's as well as the Defence Minister's access codes. With the two access codes, ICBMs or TNWs of your choice maybe launched on your command by any of the Russian submarines within range of fire to the target." The man slid the briefcase across the table to be received by Alexander. He then turned his attention towards Hayate. "Now, before we proceed, tell me a bit more about the Eterna."

"The Eterna…" Hayate gave the man a side-long glance. "It was initially developed as an encryption algorithm by its creators. The Eterna was designed to produce algorithm which uses the nonconformity cleartext, an advanced version of the One-time pad encryption…"

"Whoa, whoa; explain it in simple English. I can't understand a single word you were saying." The lieutenant general interjected Hayate's explanation. Hayate lets out a sigh and contemplated for a moment.

"To put it simply, the Eterna allows its users to create keys that changes its form over a varied amount of time. It is similar to the security systems used at banks which changes its password every day. The Eterna however, does so once every 5.4 microseconds. Therefore, any data that are encrypted by the Eterna are virtually impossible to be breached as it is constantly changed."

"So, is that all this Eterna of yours can do? Make passwords that can't be hacked?" The man asked in a slightly irritated tone. He came all the way from Vladivostok to a remote café in Japan to obtain password-making software? It was such a waste of his time.

"Please, I am not finish with my explanation yet." Hayate answered to the man's statement calmly. "The developers realised the possibilities that Eterna carries with it. After further research and development, they came up with this…" the blue-haired teenager fished out a mobile phone from his jacket before showing what was displayed on the screen of the phone to the man. "This phone has been configured to become the host for this program and as you can see, it is only 2.5 kb in size with a 64 bit key; similar to a standard commercial encryption algorithm. However, pair that with the Eterna's nonconformity properties, Eterna could breach into any encryption standards while being perfectly disguised as a simple network data; or anything that the situation demands for. Another bonus to its nonconformity properties is that even if its activities are suspected, it will not be flagged as a threat by security systems as it constantly adapts itself so that it would be unrecognised by the security systems."

The man nodded in understanding. "I see." Nikolai lets out a sigh. "It's just another Trojan with a new name."

"Perhaps a demonstration would be necessary to show you Eterna's true potential."

The man lets out a laugh. "Are you trying to mock me, boy?" Nikolai took out his phone and puts it on the table just beside Hayate's. "If everything you have told me is true, try hacking into this secured phone. I'd like to see you beat this phone's 680-bit key. The best in its class."

"We shall see." Hayate said to the man with a smile. "Run Eterna. Decrypt and clone mobile phones within 30 centimetres range." A fraction of a second after the command was given; a female voice came from the teenager's mobile phone. "Cloning complete." Hayate casually showed the display of his mobile phone to the man. He selects the contacts icon and was aghast. The phone displays the exact names and phone numbers as his phone does. He was silenced for a moment. "Let's see now… would you like to call home? Or would you like for me to move some funds around? You really shouldn't store this kind of information in your phone you know."

"This can't be true. Two million dollars' worth of system…"

"… rendered completely obsolete in less than a second. I would say that this is definitely a hands-down win for Eterna." Hayate completed the man's sentence in triumph. The man was silenced. It was only a few moments before he spoke again.

"No, you must have had access to my phone before we came here, don't ask me how, but you surely did." Nikolai refused to believe what he had seen. He chose to think of it as a trick played on him by the teenager.

"Maybe, maybe I did not. However, if I were in your place I would surely make that conclusion as it is the only logical one." The teenager lets out a chuckle. "Very well, let's see you deny this." The blue-haired stated as a smile crept on his face. "Eterna, locate the nearest Russian vessel to this spot."

"Russian vessel located. K-535 Yuriy Dolgorukiy; Boriy class submarine. 150 nautical miles from this location. Depth; 350 metres below sea-level."

"What are you doing boy?" the man asked, but Hayate simply ignored him.

"Verify armaments."

"Armaments verified. 8 Bulava SLBMs and 6 SS-N-15 cruise missiles present on board."

Hayate faced Nikolai and flashed him a smile before he continued with his orders. "Eterna, commence complete vessel takeover. Exclude communication capability from list of system takeover."

"Vessel takeover complete. Communication capability excluded."

The blue-haired lets out a chuckle. "Now, Mr. Nikolai, I would suggest for you to make contact with the ship. Why don't you confirm with them their condition before we continue to the next stage?"

Before he could even do anything his phone rang. The Russian answered his phone and in a matter of few moments, his expression changed. "No way… naval command centre reported K-535 crews have lost control over the submarine."

"Now, is that enough to convince you?" In response to the question, Nikolai ended the call and placed the phone back on the table.

"No." The man said resolutely. "I don't trust you. The call may be fake. Go ahead and do what you wanted to do."

"Very well then. Let's play." The blue-haired chuckled again. "Climb to optimal SLBM launch depth. Begin launching sequence and set the target to this location."

"Launching sequence complete. Requesting permission to launch missiles." At that very moment, Nikolai's phone rang again but was promptly silenced. Alexander turned to Hayate, as if trying to tell Hayate to stop, but his voice was simply stuck at his throat.

"Launch on my mark." Hayate paused for a moment and looked into the Russian's eye. "Last chance for you to change your mind, Mr. Nikolai." The man however, remained silent and kept his gaze to Hayate. Tension began to peak but neither of them seemed to back down from the stare down. A smile began to form on Hayate's face. "Ma-"

"Wait!" Nikolai suddenly shouted and slammed his hands on the table. The ice cream bowl fell down from the table with a crash and the commotion attracted the attention of the customers in the shop. "Wait. Stop. I… I believe you." The Russian finally backed down. He was breathing heavily and his forehead was sweaty. The man finally lost his composure and gave in to Hayate. The latter smiled yet again.

"Eterna, relinquish all control over K-535."

"Returning to manual vessel manoeuvre. Control over K-535 Yuriy Dolgorukiy relinquished."

Nikolai lets out a sigh of relieve. He could almost not believe that a Russian submarine was about to launch a nuclear missile right at where he is sitting. It was even harder for him to believe that the launch was under the order of a 17-year old teenager. "Alright, you have shown me enough." His expression turned serious. He finally understands that the teenager means business. "What do you want in exchange for Eterna? Gold? Money? I can give you anything. Name your price."

"Ikkusa Ayasaki."

"Excuse me?"

"Ikkusa Ayasaki." Hayate repeated his words to the man. "I want everything that you have about Ikkusa Ayasaki."

The man gave Hayate a confused look. "I don't know about any Ikkusa Ayasaki, boy." The lieutenant general laughs. "What makes you think that a military personnel like me knows anything about some random Japanese?"

"That's because you don't belong to the military." Hayate made the statement as he gave Alexander a meaningful look. The latter however, could not understand what his partner was trying to convey to him. "Isn't that right, Mr. Nikolai? If that is your real name."

"What are you implying? I've known him for a long time. He is Nikolai Kasparov, there's no doubt about it."

"That shows how much you know, Mikhailov." Hayate averted his eyes to the man. "Did you recall what you have said to me earlier? You asked me about Eterna."

"So? Is there something wrong with that?"

"Nothing really, except for one fact." The blue-haired teenager paused, giving the man a chance to deduce what he is going to say. "I do not believe that I have mentioned the name 'Eterna' at any point during our conversation until you brought the matter up."

"That's-"

"Don't bother giving your excuse about Mikhailov telling you about it beforehand. Alexander only knew about the programme's name two days ago when he asked me about it. I am not surprised about Alexander's knowledge of the programme's existence though, as he," said Hayate with a glare directed towards his partner, "was the one whom tried to steal it from me back then." Hayate took a sip from his cup of tea. "Therefore, there are two conclusions that can be made. One," stated the teenager with his finger held up, "you have already known about Eterna long before Mikhailov made a deal with you," Hayate lifts his second finger, "and two, you came from a group, possibly similar to the one in which Alexander belongs to as no government to this date has discovered the presence of Eterna in their systems."

Nikolai's expression was neutral. He showed neither surprise nor anxiety. His countenance however, changed seconds later as he began to laugh his heart out, confirming Hayate's deduction. "Well done." Said the man sans his Russian accent. "Just as expected from one of Hayate Ayasaki's lackeys, right, Dan'ichiro Sanka? I'm guessing you're one of his Elite Guards?" Asked Nikolai before he laughs again.

"Do you admit that what I have just said is true?"

"Yes, yes, all of it was true. However, allow me to add one more thing. I'm the kind of person who always gets his jobs done, no matter what. Did you really think that I would come here without any reinforcements?"

Immediately after the question was asked, the two teenagers registered the sound of guns being cocked behind them. A shooter whom acts as insurance for the man stood behind the two with guns pointed to their head, fingers ready to pull the trigger at the first sight of the two making a movement. In reaction to this however, Alexander lets out a chortle. "Is this all you have? I'm guessing your 'reinforcement' is the girl who was our waiter just now."

"That's right. How did you know about it?"

"Jeez." Alexander shook his head. "Not many schoolgirls carry Berettas under their skirt you know. Not to mention she was incredibly hot." The teenager flashed a grin, an almost perverse one too. "A gun from behind… pff, how cliché. Tell you what, let's make a bet. If I fail to shoot her at the third button on her blouse, she gets to put a bullet in my friend's and my head. What would you say about that?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Mikhailov, I don't make bets. As for your statements regarding her being my _only_ reinforcement, you are severely mistaken." Said the man with a smile. "Did you realise that all the customers in this café are girls?"

It was at that moment, both Alexander and Hayate realised just how much trouble they were in. Nikolai clicked his finger and in a heartbeat, the two found more than half-a dozen laser sights were aimed to them. A name flashed in their minds in unison. The Italian's Social Welfare Agency.

"Oh... snap."

"Scacco Matto." Pronounced Nikolai with a mocking smirk to the two teenagers. "It seems like all the things I've heard about the much dreaded Elite Guards aren't exactly true. You do make mistakes after all." The man laughs as he turns to Alexander. "I've told you a long time ago, don't be too cocky. This is what you get for thinking that you're smarter than everyone else."

Nikolai reached out for both phones and the briefcase from the table. "You see, signore Sanka, consider this as a message to the rest of the Guards. Your time is up. We're going to take you and your master down soon." The man pocketed the two phones. "I have a plane to catch, so… ciao."

The man left and one of the girls locked the door behind him. The click echoed throughout the room. Both Hayate and Alexander looked at each other before heaving a sigh. "Great. We're screwed up really bad this time and it's all your fault. Thanks a lot."

"My fault? Whose idea was it to buy some nuclear missiles from some shady 'Russian'?" Hayate protested to his partner. He found Alexander's attitude to be increasingly irritating.

"Shut up! Both of you, put your hands on the table and don't move," commanded one of their captors, "or I'll make sure you regret it."

"Heh, what are you gonna do? Smooch me?" Challenged Alexander. He received a hit from a rifle she was carrying as an answer. "Ouch! That hurts you bastard!"

She immediately pulled out a pistol and fired at Alexander's crotch. The teenager however, moved in time, saving him from the prospect of dying in such a humiliating way. "I won't miss the next time." His mouth was instantly shut although a nearly unintelligible word managed to escape. The blue-haired teenager was almost certain that the word was some sort of insult towards the girl.

"_It seems like they are not going to kill us immediately. Perhaps they're giving some time for Nikolai to create some sort of alibi for himself. We might have a chance to get out from this."_ Hayate estimated that there are about 10 of them in the surrounding area. He couldn't help but to let out a smile.

"Hey, what are you smiling at?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that… a rat in the house may eat the ice cream." Hayate pointed towards the broken ice cream bowl. A scream suddenly billowed from behind them. "A rat!? Where!?" They turned their head to the back of the shop and saw a girl standing on a chair with her gun pointed to the ground, frantically searching for the non-exist rat. _"How cute."_ Contemplated Hayate. "Silvia! There are no rats here. Stop making such a ruckus." The girl was promptly scolded by one of her comrades.

At the same time as the scream happened, Alexander turned towards Hayate. He knew that Hayate is not the kind of person who would say random things without any reason. The blue-haired nodded meaningfully. Alexander immediately understood that Hayate had a plan. "A rat in the house may eat the ice cream…isn't that a word play?"

"I told you to shut up!" The girl tried to hit Alexander with her gun, but he casually avoided the oncoming object and stuck out his tongue. The female turned red from anger. She roughly pressed the barrel of her gun at the head of the young Russian. "The second this phone rings," the dark-haired girl said as she showed Alexander a phone, "I'm going to pull this trigger."

"Aaw… don't I have the right to say my last word?" Alexander said to the girl playfully with a smile.

"What?"

"Arithmetic."

In that instant, all hell broke loose. All the lights in the premise exploded into a thousand pieces, causing rain of sparks to come down upon them. The entire café turned black as darkness engulfed the entire room.

* * *

The girl called Silvia slowly opened her eyes. As her eyes slowly adjust to the dimly lit surrounding, she could see her comrades down on the ground. Her ears picked up the sound of someone whispering beside her. Silvia slowly turned to her side and saw the blue-haired teenager that they were holding captive just now slowly caressing her team squad leader, Henrietta's hair. A sudden burst of anger sparked within her but was suddenly extinguished as she heard the teenager apologising to the girl. Silvia was confused. Why would their target saying sorry to the people who were going to kill them? It doesn't make any sense.

Another sound came and she registers it as the chime of the door which could only mean one thing. Their captives are escaping. She mustered all her strength to lift her weapon, but to no avail. She could only watch as the blue-haired teenager left the room. She was frustrated. Her vision began to blur as the intensity of the pain coming from the back of her head heightens. Her hearing also deteriorates as the ringing in her ears became louder. Before her last few seconds in this world ends however, she caught the glimpse of the young Russian's simper as he stood at the exit.

"And god said; thou shalt be pwned."


	17. Chapter 17: Salvation

Chapter 17: Salvation

_"Am I going to die?"_

_The teenager gave her no response. However, Henrietta knew very well the answer to that question. She had been looking forward to it day after day in her life. Finally, today will be the day that everything ends for her. No more shooting practice, no more killing, no more anything. Henrietta had always thought that she would die alone in a battlefield, without anyone by her side. Hold on, alone?_

_Although she was in great pain, Henrietta slowly turned her head and faced the rest of her squad, all of them lying motionlessly on the floor. She smiled. For once in such a long time, she could let out a warm and sincere smile from the depths of her heart. She was relieved. Soon, their suffering will end for both her comrades and herself. _

"_Tell me, will it hurt?"_

_Silence. The blue-haired gave her no answer yet again. She rests her head on the cold floor and closed her eyes. _

"_It's like falling asleep. You would not even realise it has happened."_

_Henrietta chuckled. That was such a cliché answer. She had witnessed so many deaths before but even she was unsure about the answer. She knew it was probably a lie, but it does not matter anymore. Nothing does. "Hey," she paused hesitantly, "thank you."_

_She felt a gentle touch on her forehead, brushing her hair away from her face. It was soothing, much different than what she expected for failing her mission. "I'm sorry." The Japanese whispered to her. Henrietta smiled to him as her vision fades. She remembers everything now._

* * *

"Aww man… It's such a shame," Alexander drank from the bottle as he watches the flames burst from the café windows, "I'd definitely date any one of them if they weren't gonna kill me." The Russian sighed. "Then again, I haven't met any girl who wouldn't wanna kill me." After finishing the last few drops of his orange juice, Alexander tossed the bottle away and tailed his partner towards the car. "About launching the missiles from the sub just now, you were joking right?"

"No, I was not. If he did not believe me right until the moment I said 'mark', we might be in the middle of a radioactive crater right now."

"You have got to be kidding me." He had always thought that he was the crazy one; being trigger-happy and all, but Hayate had definitely beaten him when it comes to doing things to the extreme. "Anyway, what did you use on them just now? I've never seen anything that could do shit like that."

"Micro EMP detonator. They were fitted with cybernetic implants which are very sensitive to electromagnetic pulse. I thought it would be perfect to disable them without causing any serious injuries. I did not expect for them to have implants in their brains too…" Hayate left his words trailing. Alexander caught the sullen expression on his friend's face.

"Why do you look so sad? We just escaped death. Cheer up a bit. They got what they des-"

Alexander was swiftly grabbed by his collar and slammed against the wall before he could even finish his sentence. He was startled and found himself staring into Hayate's glaring eyes "They got what? What they deserved!?" Although he had his share of witnessing the Japanese being irritated, he was never this aggressive. It was like the person in front of him is not Hayate at all. After a brief moment, Hayate slowly lowered Alexander to the ground again. "They do not deserve this. They did not deserve to become… that." The teenager turned his face.

The young Russian knew exactly what his friend meant. The girls they encountered just now were members of the Special Ops' Section 2 of The Italian Social Welfare Agency. The agency was merely a cover for the Italian's counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence organisation which employs children, particularly young girls. No one would have suspected that such young and innocent-looking girls could be proficient in the arts of death. The agency had exploited the potential possessed by the children and turned them into highly trained operatives, capable of executing dangerous operations which made them on par with any special forces on the planet. As such, they are highly regarded in the agency and feared by those whom are against them.

Hayate trembled as he continued his words. "Those girls… they were traumatised; taken away from their parents, their loved ones. They were trained to become cold-blooded killers without any feelings or emotion… brainwashed until they forgot who they were. How could you say they deserved to die?" The blue-haired pushed Alexander aside and walked away. Suddenly, he halted his steps and gave the young Russian a sidelong glance. "They did not become like you… like us by choice."

* * *

"Good afternoon, this is your captain speaking. We will depart for Chicago International Airport shortly. Please fasten your seat belt, relax and enjoy the flight."

Nikolai Kasparov sat in the first-class cabin, whistling. He almost could not believe his fortune to come across a ghost. Rumour has it that the blue-haired is a member of a group known as 'Elite Guards'; so secret that its existence was considered as a myth by most, yet it has ties to every government in the world. They were experts in every aspect of combat and programmed for one purpose; to protect a certain Japanese named Hayate Ayasaki whom was being hunted by the upper echelons of the underworld. Everything he knew about them came from whispers, which were nothing more than rumours and such as nobody had ever have the chance to lay eyes upon them; or quite possibly, survived them. That however, was not one of his concerns. For the moment, he only wished to savour the spoils from his victory.

The Russian yawned. He took out the phone he had taken from the blue-haired teenager a few hours ago. _"This is going to be the thing that guarantees my place in the top ranks in the organisation."_ The man smiled to himself. Feeling slightly thirsty, Nikolai pressed a button on his armrest and called for the flight attendant. Moments later, a cart was pushed to his side.

"How may I help you, sir?"

"Get me something to drink. I don't want anything too-" The man stopped in his mid-sentence. The flight attendant's voice sounded familiar to him. He turned to face the person and was surprised by his discovery. There he was, the blue-haired Dan'ichiro Sanka, in a flight attendant's uniform smiling at him.

"Would you like some green tea?" Nikolai could barely touch his pistol's grip when he felt a slight jab on his neck. In a split second later, his head went spinning and he fell back into his seat, asleep.

* * *

Nikolai Kasparov was seated in the middle of the dimly-lit room with the only source of light came from a 60-watt bulb hung above his head. The repeating noise of water onto the floor every few seconds echoed throughout the room. His hands were tied behind his back and he himself was in shambles. His clothes were tattered and soiled by his own blood. Nikolai was breathing heavily, tired from the constant beating. Just like in a cliché thriller, a table was placed beside him. Tools of the trade such as denailer, hammer, scalpels, forceps, pliers, pins, nails and many other objects of similar purpose was present on the table. All of them were tinged in red, hinting their usage in the past.

"Are you really going to stay muted like this forever?" Alexander enquired to the man. A PVC apron that was stained with blood, similar to the one commonly seen at slaughterhouses was worn by the teenager. "Ah well," the young Russian sighed. "I guess I'll have your pain receptors speak for you."

Upon saying that, a set of brass knuckles landed on the man's face. He fell down to the floor along with the chair he was tied to. Alexander grabbed the man by his hair and made him sit straight up again. "I'll ask you again. Who do you work for?"

"Your momma."

The answer earned Nikolai another punch with the brass knuckles. "You know, I'm really grateful that you're being stubborn like this because it means that I can play for you a bit longer. However, I'm afraid that my friend may have to interfere in our little game here if you won't spill the beans soon. Trust me; you won't like it when he does." The man gave no reply. He was too weak to give any of his dry witted answers and he was constantly gulping, indicating that he was thirsty. Alexander gave the man some water, which was eagerly accepted by the man. However, he spat some of the water in his mouth out, which caught the young Russian by surprise. The water splashed to his eyes and clothes.

"Alright, that's it," said Alexander furiously, "no more Mr. nice guy." Upon saying that, he took a rusty blade from the table and flashed it to the man. "Since you won't need those lips of yours to talk, I'll start by cutting them off."

The blade merely touches Nikolai's skin when the doors burst open. "Did you get anything from him?" Hayate directed the question to his partner. He was carrying a small box and a thermos. Alexander promptly withdrew his blade.

"Nope, nothing yet."

The blue-haired teenager sighed. "Three hours and not a single thing from him? Have you been teasing him all this while, Mikhailov?" Hayate shook his head before he turned to the table. "You did not even use any of these things." The teenager traced his finger on one of the scalpels on the table. "Still clean."

"I'd like to see you do a better job than I did." The young Russian retorted.

"As a matter of fact, I did. While you were wasting time in here, I found out a few things about him."

"Yeah right…" Responded Alexander sceptically.

Hayate ignored the young Russian's pessimistic remark. He opened the box and took out a small piece of cotton wool. After dropping a few drops of antiseptics, he dabbed the cotton wool gently on the man's wounds. "Oh great. So now we're playing the good cop/bad cop routine. Let's just hope that he'll be touched by your kindness and start to open up with you instead."

"That would be a great thing, Mr. Mikhailov. However, it is only customary for us to be treating our guest nicely. Did your mother forget to teach you that?" Hayate began to bandage the wounds on Nikolai's left arm. "Do you not agree with me, Mr. Giuseppe Giovanni?"

"Giovanni? He's the son of that Italian mob boss I took out the other day?"

"Illegitimate son apparently." Corrected Hayate. "Now, will you be willing to cooperate with us? I sincerely hope you do because I do not want to hurt you anymore than he has."

"Do what you want. I'm not telling you anything." The Italian responded defiantly.

Hayate lets out a sigh. "I am afraid that I will not take a 'no' as an answer, Mr. Giovanni." He took a small vial from the box and showed it to the man. "Would you like to know what this is?"

Alexander lifted an eyebrow. "Hey, isn't that the thing you gave me after that fight with that white-haired butler? Why would you give something like that to him?"

"Yes, Mr. Mikhailov. It is the same thing." Hayate brought the vial containing the viscous red fluid closer to the Italian. "This is a regeneration serum that my colleagues and I developed quite a while ago. It helps to increase a person's rate of recovery from any wounds and injuries; no matter how serious they are – not including death of course. However, this is just a prototype. Its effects can only last for a few hours before your body metabolises the serum. I do believe," a glint came from his eyes, "that it is much more than we would need to extract the information needed from you."

Using a syringe, Hayate took some of the fluid inside the bottle before injecting it to the man's arm. It was only a few moments before the bruises on his face began to disappear, his dislocated jaw returned to its original position and his broken nose restored to the way it was. As for the wounds, there were no traces of blood on any of the man's bandages when Hayate removed them or even as much as a mark on the Italian's skin. He looked just the way he was before he was taken to the room, even better perhaps. Both he and Alexander were surprised by the sudden recovery.

"Works like magic, eh?" Hayate asked the man with his usual smile. "Now, I am giving you one last chance. Please comply with our request or I would have to proceed."

"Over my dead body."

"Gladly." The blue-haired teenager responded. Giuseppe could almost swear that the young Japanese's eyes glowed for a moment. At the same moment, Alexander smirked and traced a finger across his throat. The Italian suddenly had a sinking feeling. He remembered his first impression regarding the teenager - 'the ones who seemed to pose the least threat are almost always the most dangerous'. Unfortunately for him, he was about to put himself as a test subject to prove his impression about the teenager.

Hayate removed the compartment which houses the first-aid materials from the box. Beneath it was a glass cage which houses a few spiders. Alexander cringed upon the sight. "Sorry about this Mikhailov. I forgot about your arachnophobia." The latter nodded his head, signalling that he was alright with it. The teenager lifted the cage and brought it closer to the man. Inside it was a tiny blue spider with claws so sharp, the tips seemed to disappear. He held up the cage before Giuseppe's nose. Inside, the spider slashed its claws in a starving frenzy, barely an inch from the Italian's nose.

"Allow me to introduce you to the Blue Tunnel. She is one of my… slightly less than legal creations. As you could have guessed, she is a carnivore. Her favourite method of feeding is by eating her prey inside out." Hayate gave the man a smile. "This beautiful creature uses her razor-sharp claws as teeth, mincing her prey's meat as she progresses deeper inside her food."

For the two, Hayate began to look scarier as the continued to describe his spider. His once gentle and unassuming air turned into a menacing and ominous one. "I am quite certain that you could put your imagination to work and guess what I am going to do to you with both the serum and the spider." Indeed, the man sure does have a general idea of what is going to happen to him. He was most certainly going to have the time of his life. "If you do change your mind during the process however, I would be more than happy to help you to get rid of the spider." Hayate unscrewed the thermos and gave him a scent of the still-steaming drink. "Despite all the things this spider could do, it is highly unstable and would die off instantly when it comes in contact with some tea." The teenager placed the thermos on the floor again before he took the cage and opened its door.

"Now, open wide and say aaahn~3"

* * *

A Koenigsegg CCXR sped through the highway, dangerously missing other traffic on the road. Its driver, Alexander Mikhailov was literally drowned in a rush of adrenalin. With maximum speed exceeding 400 km/h, it was irrefutable that such raw power generated by the machine's twin supercharged V8 engine could provide him with the need for speed he had always craved for. Shifting the gears, Alexander slammed the pedal to the floor and overtook four cars ahead of him.

All of the sudden, two questions popped in his mind. Who in their right mind would want to take a walk back from such a secluded area in the dead of the night when they could have just taken a car? More importantly, why would Hayate Ayasaki be generous enough to let one of his precious cars to be driven by him although the blue-haired had sworn never to let him do so again? The young Russian shrugged. He could not be, or rather, want to be bothered by his companion's peculiarity. The only thing important to him is the present, the fact that he is enjoying himself; not the past, the fact that Hayate wanted to walk back to his mansion by himself.

A faint beeping noise caught his attention. He took out a small pocket watch from the breast pocket of his coat and clicked the watch open before turning the outer rim of the watch. A holographic display of a silhouetted man appeared before him. "13," the man pronounced. A smile crept on his face. He had previously been promoted to the position he had yearned for such a long time. "Elimination of Digmas 4, 3 and 2 has been confirmed. You are to remain standby and wait for further instruction."

As soon as the man disappears, Alexander was at a loss. It took him some time but the words finally sunk into him. _"The Digmas... eliminated? Does that mean Ayasaki's guards are..."_ He simply left his words trailing behind.

The term 'Digma' was a codename given to members of the Elite Guards by his Organisation. The Elite Guards, as informed by Giovanni, consists of five members; each of them given a number which denotes their placing in the Guards' hierarchy in terms of both power and influence.

The Digmas have also been proven to be exceptionally resilient. He and several of his comrades have had first-hand experience with one of the Digmas. Alexander was one of the few survivors of Tselevaya gruppa 23, a black ops orchestrated by the top strata of The Organisation with the mission of capturing one of the Digmas whose whereabouts was compromised. Needless to say, the operation ended disastrously. Of the 23 finest agents of The Organisation involved in operation, he was the only one who made it out alive, albeit barely. Most of his comrades were killed in the combat while a few lived for the next few hours only to have their sufferings prolonged. And all of that was only for Digma 5, one who was supposedly the 'weakest' member of the Elite Guards.

Now, he was told that three more of them were eliminated. Although Alexander was dubious of how they managed to achieve the success, he pushed the matter aside as he knew very well of what move The Organisation make would next. A coup de grace.

The young Russian promptly turned the car around and sped towards his friend.

* * *

Hayate Ayasaki sat on a mossy log just beside the road. He had immersed himself in his daily work so much that he had almost forgotten how blissful it was to simply sit down and enjoy the scenery before him. Thousands of stars twinkled so far away, yet it felt so close to him. He held his hand out, as if trying to reach it. His finger closed in on a star and he imagined himself holding it like pinching a grain of sand between his fingers. Hayate knew that in reality, the star would be millions of times bigger than what he is seeing right now. It suddenly came to him that no matter how great humans think they are, no matter how accomplished they were, they are nothing but a speck of dust in this vast universe. He lets out a sigh.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Hayate gasped in surprise. He looked around for the source of the voice and found a young girl no younger than himself sitting on a branch not far from him. The girl had a child-like smile and was moving her head gently to her sides, humming. She jumped down from her seat and began walking towards the blue-haired.

"A-tan? Is that you?" The teenager inquired but soon realised that the colour of her iris was not red, as he had expected from his long-time friend; it was lilac.

"A-tan? Jeez…" the girl tittered, "who is this 'A-tan' person you have been talking about lately?"

Hayate could only stare dumbfounded at the girl. He was perplexed and did not know how exactly he was supposed to react. The young girl however, laughed at his expression and turned towards the sky. Although she looked serene, Hayate could notice that there was a sense of longing in her eyes. "Tell me, Hayate… how has your life been?"

"It's… good."

"Ah, I'm so happy for you." Replied the girl while keeping her gaze to the sky. Her lips curled into a smile. "I have always hoped that you'll be happy."

"Clarissa…"

"Ah," the girl gasped and turned towards the boy, "so you do remember my name. I thought you were-"

"Why are you here?"

With that single question, her expression darkens. She looked down to the ground; her golden hair covered her face. There was silence between the two before a sob escaped from her. "I- I'm just…" The girl wiped her tears away before she left the teenager. Hayate instantly stood up and tried to go after her, but she was gone. He squinted his eyes towards the other side of the road and as his eyes began to adjust itself to the darkness, his ears caught bits of a conversation.

Out of curiosity, he began to step forward. Although he wanted to find out what was happening at the other side, his feet suddenly felt heavy as if he was trudging through a thick swamp. His body seemed to refuse letting him move for fear of what he was about to find out - and Hayate was stunned by what he discovered.

The girl he had talked with just now was at the other side, turning her back to a man who stood in the dark and began to walk away. Everything seemed to move very slowly from that moment on. The silhouette turned to his side and grasped the hilt of the weapon sheathed on his belt. Hayate screamed, telling the girl to turn back, but it was as if she did not hear him. The man was already drawing his sword out when Hayate leaped forward, his hands reached out to stop the man. He knew, however, that it was too late to save her.

In an instant, the sword was driven through her chest and thick red fluid tainted the spotless blade as it exited her body. Hayate felt limp. He fell down to his knees at the same time as she does when the blade was pulled out from her body. Hayate trembled upon the sight. It was the very nightmare that has been haunting him each time he went to sleep. He cursed himself for his failure to save the person before him. "If only I have been there, she would not have to…" The teenager could not bring himself to say the word. He prayed that it would stop, that she would be saved. His prayers however, were left unanswered.

The man circled around the female before he stood above her and looked down at the girl. His victim tried to say something to him, but she could only make choking sounds as blood gurgled in her throat. There was no fear in her eyes. Instead, she looked at the man before her with empathy – as if she was sorry for the man more than herself. Hayate knew what was going to happen next. He stumbled forward to reach her, but the man had already lifted his sword.

"No!" Screamed the blue-haired teenager as he dashed to save her. At that very moment, his vision was blinded from the side. He turned his head and saw two lights coming at him. In less than a split second later, a sharp noise pierced through his ears before he found himself flying through the air, every inch of his body screaming in pain. When he finally landed, the momentum from the collision caused his body to slew across the asphalt.

Hayate Ayasaki was numbed. He could not even bring himself to lift even a finger. He knew that it was just a matter of time before another unsuspecting vehicle would come and bring his life to an end. It was just moments ago when he felt pain throughout his body, but now he could feel absolutely nothing. _"Am I going to die?" _The question suddenly came to him. Hayate laughed inwardly. That was the very question asked to him by another person earlier that day. _"I suppose… I am going to find out about that myself soon." _The teenager closed his eyes. Soon, it would not be very long before he could finally leave the entire burden he has been carrying for such a long time.

His ears suddenly registered a screech. Hayate slowly opened his eyes again. He blinked once and could see the outlines of a person over him. However, his eyes failed to recognise who the person was. "-stard! Don't die on me!" That was the only thing he could understand from the fading noise his ears could capture. He blinked again. This time, he could see lights moving over his head. It was as if he was being pushed on something. Hayate blinked once again. His face felt like there was something strapped to it. His eyes wondered for a bit. He was now in a room where there was several people around him, busy doing things he could barely see. To his right, a figure stood while holding a shiny object in his hand. Hayate could feel a touch on his left arm. He turned and found himself gazing upon the lilac eyes of the girl he had seen just now. Her head was rested on his hand as she smiled happily. Her lips moved slowly; she was speaking to him. The teenager could not understand what the female was trying to say him, but somehow, he had a feeling that he already knew what she was trying to convey to him.

"We will soon be together again."

* * *

_**~Bad Ending~**_


End file.
